Part 3.4 - Nine Elements (2): Ajiva (Insentient substances)

[Full title: Doctrines of Jainism (4): The Nine Elements (nava-tattvas) (2): Ajiva (Insentient substances)]

Anything that does not have life or consciousness is called ajiva. Worldly life arises on account of interaction of soul with it. As there is no soul, it can not accumulate Karma. A box, car, table, book are few examples of non-sentient entities. ajivas don”t have birth, death, pain or pleasure. According to one of the great Jain scholars, Acarya Kundakunda, the Reality or Cosmos consists of six eternal substances (dra-vyas) and each one is associated with guna. Jain philosophy has classified ajiva into five categories.

These five non-santient substances (pancastikaya) are as under^[1] :

1. Dharma (Priciples or medium of Motion);
2. Adharma (Priciples or medium of Rest);
3. Akasa (Space);
4. Pudgal (Physical order of existence, matter);
5. Kala (Time);

a) Dharmastikaya:

It denotes medium of motion. It prevails in loka (cosmic space) and absent in aloka (Trans cosmic space). Its primary function is to help in movement of soul and matter. It exists in entire cosmic universe. Ether like invisible substance is constant and eternal.

b) Adharmastikaya:

It denotes medium of rest. It helps to rest the movement of soul and matter. Thus, dharmastikaya and adharmastikaya are instrumental in motion and stability. Both these dharmastikaya and adharmastikaya^[2] substances are unique to Jain thought depicting the principles of motion and rest. They are said to pervade the entire universe.

Dharma-tattva and adharma-tattva are by themselves not motion or rest but mediate motion and rest in other bodies. Without dharmastikaya motion is not possible and without adharmastikaya rest is not possible in the universe.

c) Akasastikaya (Space):

It accommodates all other substances except Pudgal. It is all-pervading, infinite and made of infinite space-points. Jainism divides Akasa into two parts: Lokakasa and Alokakasa as mentioned above. Alokakasa is an empty space and does not contain any jiva, pudgala, kala, dharmastikaya and adharmastikaya unlike Lokakasha. It provides space or accommodation to soul and matter of their actions.

d) Pudgalastikaya (Matter):

That continuously changes by addition (pud) and/or division (gal) is called matter or Pudgal. It is a tangible object like Prakrti. Matter is non-living substance, which possesses a body consisting of mass and volume. They do not have consciousness and are of infinite in number. They can be seen by eyes, can aggregate and disaggregate others into indivisible and inactive substances. They can not exercise their own capability to move without medium of dharma, and capability to remain steady can be exercised with medium of adharma.

Matter can be in the form of whole (skandha), part (skandha-desa), smallest particle (skandha-pradesa), atom (paramanu) or karma (karma-pudgala). Pudgalas are responsible for body, speech and mind, inhalation and exhalation, pleasure and pain, life and death, touch, taste, odour, color, sound, darkness and light. It is nothing but matter which is classified as solid, liquid, gaseous, energy, fine Karmic materials and extra-fine matter or ultimate particles. Paramanu or ultimate particles are considered the basic building block of all matter. One of the qualities of the paramanu and pudgala is that of permanence and indestructibility. It combines and changes its modes but its basic qualities remain the same. According to Jainism, it can neither be created nor destroyed.

e) Kala (Time):

Time measures changes in living beings and non-living substances. According to Jainism, Samay is the smallest and indivisible portion of time, which is infinitely small part of a second. Time is linked to a wheel with twelve spokes divided into Avasarpini (regressive, descending) and Utsarpini (progressive or ascending) half cycles with six stages, each of immense duration estimated at billions of sagaropama or ocean years (For Kalacakra, Refer Appendix no. I on page no.348).

According to Jains, sorrow increases at each progressive descending stage and happiness and bliss increase in each progressive ascending stage. Each half cycle is made up of six aras (era) each one of unequal periods. Currently, we are in 5^th Era or ara of unhappiness (dukham kala) which has been started after nirvana of Lord Mahavira and is going to last for 21000 years. The function of Time is becoming, changing, moving and the concept of before and after. Time is a real entity according to Jainism and all activities, changes or modifications can be achieved only through time. The part of the universe, where dharmastikaya and adharmastikaya exist is called lokakasa (Cosmic universe).

As per Jainism, finest part of pudgal is paramanu, which is finer than any sub-atomic particle. One paramanu occupies space known as pradesa. Binding of two or more paramanu is called Skandha. Jiva, dharma and adharma occupy innumerable pradesas, so the term astikaya is attached.

Dharma and adharma occupy the entire Universe; pudgala can occupy one or more parts.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid.,5.1 to 5.24

[2]:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattva_(Jainism) (Retrieved on 02/09/2014)