Dr. N.L. Kachhara
Adharmastikaya assists jiva and pudgala to assume rest position. Its other characteristics are similar to dharma. It is also a single, indivisible and homogeneous continuum pervading the entire loka but does not extend beyond it (it is also a cause for finiteness of loka). It is beginning less, eternal, devoid of sense qualities and imperceptible to the sense organs and physical instruments. It is immobile and assists jiva and pudgala passively in assuming rest position. It does not stop moving jiva and pudgala but becomes a passive agent in retarding and stopping their movement just like a shade of tree prompts a traveling passenger to stop. An object reversing its direction stops momentarily before changing the direction and such turn is also assisted by adharma. The still positions of body concentration of mind, silence, staying motionless and all steady postures etc., are due to passive action of adharma.
Both dharma and adharma are supposed to have innumerable pradesa, equal to the number of pradesa of loka. This division in pradesa is for the sake of explanation of phenomena taking place in loka, otherwise both the substances are single indivisible whole units as mentioned before. It is presumed that one pradesa of dharma and one pradesa of adharma lay on one pradesa of loka. Maintaining such an arrangement, the dharma and adharma continue to have separate identity and do not 'enter' the loka.
There are two main reasons for assuming the existence of Dharma and adharma
- Assist jiva and pudgala in the act of motion and rest.
- Division of akasa into lokakasa, cosmic space, and alokakasa, trans-cosmic space
We believe that there is a cause for every action. Jiva and pudgala move, stop and travel throughout the cosmic space on their own. But an agent is required to help the act of motion (or stoppage) such that it itself is motionless and present everywhere in the cosmic space. In the absence of this agent motion is not possible. Dharma and adharma are present in the loka only and therefore jiva and pudgala cannot cross over to trans- cosmic space. The liberated soul has infinite vitality but cannot go beyond loka for the same reason.
Science has presented the concept of ether which, in due course of time, has been assigned different kinds of functions including propagation of light. Some authors assume that dharmastikaya is the medium of motion and adharmastikaya is the medium of rest. To me these propositions require a close examination and scrutiny. We briefly review the concept of ether and compare it with the Jaina concepts.
