अजीवकाया धर्माधर्माकाशपुद्गलाः
ajīvakāyā dharmādharmākāśapudgalāḥ
The non-soul extended substances are the medium of motion (dharma), the medium of rest (adharma), space (akasha) and matter (pudgala).
Jainism · Acharya Umaswati
Chapter 5: Non-soul substances (ajiva)
The one text accepted by Digambara and Svetambara Jains alike: the whole Jain path in short Sanskrit sutras.
सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्गः
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This chapter in brief
This chapter explains ajiva, all that is not soul: the medium of motion (dharma), the medium of rest (adharma), space, matter (pudgala) and time. It defines a substance (dravya) by existence, and existence as arising, passing away and lasting, all at once. It also gives the well-known teaching that souls support one another (parasparopagraho jivanam). The Digambara text states that time is a substance, while the Svetambara text says that some hold time to be one.
द्रव्याणि
dravyāṇi
These are substances (dravya).
जीवाश्च
jīvāśca
Souls too are substances.
नित्यावस्थितान्यरूपाणि
nityāvasthitānyarūpāṇi
Substances are eternal and fixed in number, and are formless.
रूपिणः पुद्गलाः
rūpiṇaḥ pudgalāḥ
Matter, however, has form.
आ आकाशादेकद्रव्याणि
ā ākāśādekadravyāṇi
Up to space (dharma, adharma and space), each is a single substance.
निष्क्रियाणि च
niṣkriyāṇi ca
And these three do not move.
असंख्येयाः प्रदेशा धर्माधर्मैकजीवानाम्
asaṃkhyeyāḥ pradeśā dharmādharmaikajīvānām
Dharma, adharma and each single soul have innumerable space points (pradesha).
आकाशस्यानन्ताः
ākāśasyānantāḥ
Space has infinite space points.
संख्येयासंख्येयाश्च पुद्गलानाम्
saṃkhyeyāsaṃkhyeyāśca pudgalānām
Matter has countable, innumerable and infinite points.
नाणोः
nāṇoḥ
An atom (anu) has no further parts.
लोकाकाशेऽवगाहः
lokākāśe'vagāhaḥ
These substances are located in the space of the universe (lokakasha).
धर्माधर्मयोः कृत्स्ने
dharmādharmayoḥ kṛtsne
Dharma and adharma pervade the whole of it.
एकप्रदेशादिषु भाज्यः पुद्गलानाम्
ekapradeśādiṣu bhājyaḥ pudgalānām
Matter occupies one or more space points, as the case may be.
असंख्येयभागादिषु जीवानाम्
asaṃkhyeyabhāgādiṣu jīvānām
Souls occupy from an innumerable fraction of the universe upward.
प्रदेशसंहारविसर्पाभ्यां प्रदीपवत्
pradeśasaṃhāravisarpābhyāṃ pradīpavat
This is because, like the light of a lamp, a soul's space points can contract and expand.
गतिस्थित्युपग्रहौ धर्माधर्मयोरुपकारः
gatisthityupagrahau dharmādharmayorupakāraḥ
The function of dharma and adharma is to support motion and rest.
आकाशस्यावगाहः
ākāśasyāvagāhaḥ
The function of space is to give room.
शरीरवाङ्मनःप्राणापानाः पुद्गलानाम्
śarīravāṅmanaḥprāṇāpānāḥ pudgalānām
Body, speech, mind and breath are the work of matter.
सुखदुःखजीवितमरणोपग्रहाश्च
sukhaduḥkhajīvitamaraṇopagrahāśca
So are pleasure, pain, life and death.
परस्परोपग्रहो जीवानाम्
parasparopagraho jīvānām
Souls render service to one another.
वर्तनापरिणामक्रियाः परत्वापरत्वे च कालस्य
vartanāpariṇāmakriyāḥ paratvāparatve ca kālasya
The function of time is to support continuing existence, change, motion, and being earlier or later.
स्पर्शरसगन्धवर्णवन्तः पुद्गलाः
sparśarasagandhavarṇavantaḥ pudgalāḥ
Matter has touch, taste, smell and colour.
शब्दबन्धसौक्ष्म्यस्थौल्यसंस्थानभेदतमश्छायातपोद्योतवन्तश्च
śabdabandhasaukṣmyasthaulyasaṃsthānabhedatamaśchāyātapodyotavantaśca
Matter also takes the forms of sound, union, fineness, grossness, shape, division, darkness, shadow, sunshine and cool light.
अणवः स्कन्धाश्च
aṇavaḥ skandhāśca
Matter exists as atoms and as aggregates (skandha).
भेदसंघातेभ्य उत्पद्यन्ते
bhedasaṃghātebhya utpadyante
Aggregates arise through division, through union, or through both.
भेदादणुः
bhedādaṇuḥ
The atom arises only through division.
भेदसंघाताभ्यां चाक्षुषः
bhedasaṃghātābhyāṃ cākṣuṣaḥ
Visible aggregates arise through division and union together.
सद्द्रव्यलक्षणम्
saddravyalakṣaṇam
The mark of a substance is existence (sat).
उत्पादव्ययध्रौव्ययुक्तं सत्
utpādavyayadhrauvyayuktaṃ sat
Existence is what has origination, cessation and permanence together.
तद्भावाव्ययं नित्यम्
tadbhāvāvyayaṃ nityam
Permanent means never losing its essential nature.
अर्पितानर्पितसिद्धेः
arpitānarpitasiddheḥ
Seemingly opposite qualities are established by giving one aspect primary attention and keeping another secondary.
स्निग्धरूक्षत्वाद् बन्धः
snigdharūkṣatvād bandhaḥ
Particles bond because of their smoothness and roughness.
न जघन्यगुणानाम्
na jaghanyaguṇānām
Particles with the lowest degree of these qualities do not bond.
गुणसाम्ये सदृशानाम्
guṇasāmye sadṛśānām
Nor do particles of the same kind with equal degrees.
द्व्यधिकादिगुणानां तु
dvyadhikādiguṇānāṃ tu
But particles whose degrees differ by two or more do bond.
बन्धेऽधिकौ पारिणामिकौ च
bandhe'dhikau pāriṇāmikau ca
In bonding, the particle of higher degree transforms the other into its own nature.
गुणपर्ययवत् द्रव्यम्
guṇaparyayavat dravyam
A substance possesses qualities (guna) and modes (paryaya).
कालश्च
kālaśca
Time (kala) too is a substance.
सोऽनन्तसमयः
so'nantasamayaḥ
It is made up of infinite instants (samaya).
द्रव्याश्रया निर्गुणा गुणाः
dravyāśrayā nirguṇā guṇāḥ
Qualities rest in a substance and do not themselves have qualities.
तद्भावः परिणामः
tadbhāvaḥ pariṇāmaḥ
The change of a substance within its own nature is called transformation (parinama).
Sanskrit sutras: Sanskrit Wikisource (public domain), with clear digitisation errors corrected and listed in our build notes. Meanings, summaries and Navkar text: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by Digambara and Svetambara scholars. Sutra counts follow the Digambara recension; Svetambara texts number some sutras differently.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .