Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
Both Śvetambara and digambara traditions have accepted the existence of time but do not consider it as an astikāya (homogeneous continuums of units). Only those substances can be astikāya which are capable of forming an aggregate from its units. The past moments of time get lapsed and future moments have not come into existence. So, there cannot be any aggregate forms in time. What exists is only present one samaya. So, there cannot be a tiryakpracaya (horizontal expansion) of it. There cannot be an aggregate or horizontal expansion of time. Thus it is not an astikāya.[1] Since there is a prior and posterior existence of time, there is a vertical expansion of time but since it has no units, there is no horizontal expansion of time.[2]
Digambara tradition believes that the number of time atoms is equal to that of cosmic space. An atom of time resides on each unit of cosmic space. Time is one from the point of view of both existence and expression. There is no horizontal expansion of it. Among the five substances like dharmāstikāya etc. the horizontal expansion is accepted on the basis of space and vertical expansion is accepted on the basis of time. They have the aggregate of units so they expand horizontally and due to the time factor they extend in prior and posterior modes and exist in sequence. The aggregate of samaya is the vertical expansion of time substance.[3]
According to āgamic literature, time is not astikāya. Why then it has not been given anywhere? This is the significant style of āgamas that for propounding any truth it never takes the assistance of logic, but in the post-canonical age, to answer 'why' had become essential. So, they had to resort to logic and used probans and probandum in the statements to prove the fact.
