📄 Abstract
Jain philosophy offers a profound and distinctive conception of time (kāla) that forms an essential component of its metaphysics, cosmology, and ethical framework. Time is considered one of the six dravya (substances) that constitute reality, alongside soul (jīva), matter (pudgala), space (ākāśa), motion (dharma), and rest (adharma). Within this system, time is eternal, formless, and indispensable for the processes of change, motion, and karmic transformation. Jain philosophers view time both as a causal and a conditional factor in the emergence and cessation of worldly events. The doctrine encompasses an atomistic notion of indivisible temporal units (samaya) and a vast cyclical cosmology represented by the kālacakra—the wheel of time—divided into ascending (utsarpiṇī) and descending (avasarpiṇī) phases. This article examines the Jain concept of time through canonical sources such as Tattvārtha Sūtra, commentaries by Umāsvāti and Pūjyapāda, and modern interpretations by scholars including Padmanabh Jaini, Paul Dundas, and Melanie Barbato. It explores four key aspects: (1) Time as a fundamental substance, (2) its measurement and units, (3) its function in the karmic and cosmic order, and (4) its soteriological implications, concluding with reflections on its philosophical significance in relation to broader Indian thought.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Mr.Pintu Das , THE CONCEPT OF TIME IN JAIN PHILOSOPHY , Volume 11 , Issue 10, October 2025, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) ,