Verse 5.8 - The extent of space-points (pradeśa)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 5.8:

असंख्येयाः प्रदेशाः धर्माधर्मैकजीवानाम् ॥ ५.८ ॥

asaṃkhyeyāḥ pradeśāḥ dharmādharmaikajīvānām || 5.8 ||

There are innumerable (asaṃkhyāta) space-points (pradeśa) in the medium of motion (dharma), the medium of rest (adharma) and in each individual soul (jīva). (8)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [धर्माधर्मैकजीवानाम्] धर्म द्रव्य, अधर्म द्रव्य और एक जीव द्रव्य के [असंख्येयाः] असंख्यात [प्रदेशाः] प्रदेश हैं।

Anvayartha: [dharmadharmaikajivanam] dharma dravya, adharma dravya aura eka jiva dravya ke [asamkhyeyah] asamkhyata [pradeshah] pradesha haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

The term ‘kāya’ in sūtra 5-1 indicates the existence of space-points (pradeśa) for these substances. But the extent of space-points is not determined. The extent of space-points is described next.

That which is uncountable is innumerable (asaṃkhyāta). Innu-merable is of three kinds, the minimum, the maximum, and that which is neither the minimum nor the maximum (i.e., midway between the two). Here the third variety of innumerable is implied. A space-point (pradeśa) is said to be the space occupied by an indivisible elementary particle (paramāṇu). The medium of motion (dharma), the medium of rest (adharma) and each individual soul (jīva) have the same innumerable (asaṃkhyāta) space-points (pradeśa). The media of motion and of rest are ‘niṣkriya’–without activity–and co-extensive with the universe (loka). Though the soul has the same number of space-points as these two, still it is capable of contraction and expansion. So it occupies either a small body or a big one as determined by the karmas. But, when, at the time of kevali-samudghāta^[1], the soul expands, filling up the entire universe, the central eight space-points of the soul remain at the centre of the citrā pṛthivī^[2] below Mount Meru and the remaining space-points spread filling up the entire universe in all directions.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See explanation to sūtra 3-35, p. 140. Kevali-samudghāta–the Omniscient emanates from his body the spatial units of his soul, without wholly discarding the body, for the purpose of levelling down the duration of the other three non-destructivc karmas to that of the age (ayuḥ [āyus?]) karma.

[2]:

See explanation to sūtra 4-12, p. 155.