Jainism

Jainism is a non-Brahmanical philosophical tradition of India. Enriched by the deep insights of 24 spiritual gurus or tirtbankaras, from Risabha (the first) to Mahavira (the last), Jainism has its own distinctive flavor that distinguishes this philosophy from others. To understand the concept of time in Jainism, it is necessary to have an overall idea of the metaphysical system of the Jainas. Jainas believe in a many-sided view of reality, known as anekantavada, or the theory of pluralism. This concept of reality can accommodate identity and difference, permanence and change. There are two main important terms in Jaina philosophy, dravya and astikaya, which pervade Jaina writings. The concept of kala (time) is to be understood in terms of these two concepts.

Umasvati, a famous Jaina philosopher, defines dravya or substance as that which possesses qualities and modes. Substance is always characterized by qualities and modes. Jainism offers six substances as ultimately real, and time is one among them. They arejiva (the soul), pudgala (the matter), dharma (the principle of motion), adharma (the principal of rest), akasa (space) and kala (time).

Amongst the six substances, five are known as astikaya, a term which, negatively speaking, helps to understand the concept of time. In the Dravya-Samgraba, a famous book of the Jainas written by Nemichandra, the term astikaya is explained in the following way: This term consists of two parts, asti, meaning “to exist” and kaya, meaning “body.” Therefore this term refers to those five substances that exist and occupy space. The term kaya also technically is to be understood as consisting of many indivisible particles (pradesa). So, five out of the six substances apart from time can be characterized as astikayas. This notion of indivisible particles points to the fact that the Jainas believe in the general atomic conception of the universe. The five substances are called astikaya (extended) because the particles of which they are made are not separate. This is also the reason why time is not classified as an extended substance, even though it has existence.

According to Jaina philosophy, time is real, as it possesses origination, decay, and permanence, the characteristics of all real things. Time is as real as the five others, as it is the accompanying cause or condition of the modification of substances. This reality of things is explained by the Jaina philosophers by recognizing the two aspects of things, parjaya (the mode) and dravya (the substance). The former is the series of temporary modes with coming and going, and the latter is the core thing that remains constant. Time as a real substance possesses all these states. The above can be explained by taking an example from our everyday life. When a man clenches his fingers into a fist, then this phenomenonclenching of the fingersoccurs (origination), and the previous state of the fingers necessarily is at end (decay), yet so far as the fingers are concerned, they continue to be substantially the same (permanence).

In the famous Jaina text entitled Pancastikayasara, the atomic conception of time is discussed. The [Page 724]characteristics of time atoms are such that each atom is distinct and can never be mixed with other time atoms. This is the reason for advocating the theory that time has one pradesa only, or in other words, the time atoms can never be combined. And this also leads to the point that the time atoms can only constitute a unidimensional series that is unilateral. In Jaina terminology, this is known as urdha-pracaya (unilateral) as opposed to the tiryak-pracayaa multidimensional series or horizontal extension. All other substances except time possess extensions in both these dimensions. As kala (time) consists of infinite samaya (instants), it possesses only unilateral extension. This unilateral extension of kala points to the fact that the world is constantly progressing with the help of time.

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