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....
3.4. Reason of Time Being a Substance
‘The functions, because of which time is accepted in the category of substance, are mainly five in number. They are:
- vartana (duration),
- parinama (change),
- kriya (action),
- paratva (priority), and
- aparatva (posteriority).
Vartana (Duration): In spite of the fact that kala can't give status of presence on any substance, and still, after all that, the period, for which the substance keeps going (exists) means the complete length of time wherein the presence of the substance continues.’[1] Time is philosophical indeed.
‘Parinama (Change): At whatever point a substance experiences transmutation, it is the impact or outcome of time which results in its transmutation.
Kriya (Action): Activity incorporates all demonstrations, for example, movement. Movement (gati) implies: change of position in space. That is the reason in movement of any matter, the possibility of changing of positions is related with time amid which it happens.
Paratva (Priority) and Aparatva (Posteriority): Paratva implies precedence and aparatva implies progression or 'new' and 'old' separately. These ideas likewise can't be gotten a handle on without mulling over time.[2] Sequence of events or their simultaneity is due to the concept of time.
In these qualities of time we can see that though time does not have its own physical existence (asti) but it flows along with each change that is happening in a substance. It is not the cause but mere a spectator.
‘Kala itself isn't an objective reality however it follows up on every single objective reality, for example it is in charge of different modes of a substance.’[3]
Counting time, without having an asti (existence), with the five astikaya substances can be a point of discussion.
This can be understood by the following statement:
‘The present samaya (moment) has begun (i.e. comes into existence), the past samaya stops to exist, however the kalanu which are the substrata of both these moments keep on persevering all through. In this way, the meaning of genuine substance (sat) which propounds that sat is what is possessed of origination, cessation and persistence, applies to kalanu, and therefore kalanu is accepted as a genuine substance.’[4]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
TETU. pp. 126
[2]:
TETU. pp. 126
[3]:
TETU. pp. 127
[4]:
TETU. pp. 128