Jain Science and Spirituality

by Medhavi Jain | 2020 | 61,419 words

This essay studies the elements of Jainism and investigates how Jain science and philosophy can give the world answers to through science and spirituality. Instead of interpreting it as a confined, strict philosophy, it is shown that Jainism represents a path towards self-awakening through self-improvement....

2.3. Singularity of Space

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One may ponder over how a sentient being is nothing without the ajiva or nonliving, as it performs all its activities only through pudgala. Though the main doer is the soul but it does whatever it wants only through pudgala.

There is no other way.

‘It ought to be seen that both space and movement just as rest are certainly singular, though souls and matter are of boundless assortment, and, in addition, only they are dynamic.’^[1]

However for the sake of understanding we consider smaller parts of space as space points.

‘Akasha is—that has infinite space points and is spread universally upwards, downwards and diagonally.’^[2]

Which means it is everywhere.

‘There is nevertheless one universe or cosmic space (loka) and adjacent to it however one supra cosmic space (aloka). The latter encompasses the world on all sides like a hollow sphere and is distant, since past the limits of the universe the medium of motion is missing.’^[3]

Basically to understand that the aloka or supra cosmic space is infinite, much bigger than the finite loka or the cosmic space, and as dharma dravya and also the adharma dravya are absent there, it is not possible to travel into that.

‘That which is lifeless, shapeless, and give space to the various substances, is pervasive, has been characterized as akasha by the individuals who have perceived the reality.’^[4]

Akasha being non-living itself, gives space to all the living beings as well as non-living things of the universe, be it anything literally. The subtlety is to that extent that when we get a vaccination done, the needle goes into our body because of the space in it, that too is akasha. However this is an amazing fact that we do not carry the space within but the space carries us within.

‘Newton in his work Principia Mathematica said, ‘Everything is put in space as to order of circumstance.' That is to state, the earth and sublime bodies are arranged in an unfaltering compartment, of limitless degree, which exists, and has always existed, freely of whether it is observed by perceiving minds or not, and autonomously of whether it is occupied at a specific spot or not. Its size is limitless, its character uniform, and its surface ceaseless.’^[5]

This is so mind boggling as well as elaborative. Usually none of us sees and understands space like this.

‘That part of space which is plagued by different substances is called loka or cosmic space. The remainder of the space, which is vacant or essentially void, containing no other substance, is called aloka or supra-cosmic space. The quantity of pradeshas present in cosmic space is countless, while, there is interminable number of pradeshas in supra-cosmic space. Cosmic space is one, indissoluble and limited, and encompassed in all directions by supra-cosmic space, though supra-cosmic space is one, inseparable, unending and endless.’^[6]

In essence the space in Loka and Aloka is one. The difference lies in providing residence, with the help of motion and rest, to other substances, where absence of one substance leads to the absence of all others.