Jethalal S. Zaveri
Prof. Muni Mahendra Kumar
These are the non-physical real substances as the media of motion and rest respectively. The existence of these two as reals is not accepted by any other metaphysical school of thought. The classical physics, however, had accepted the existence of substance called ether as a medium of motion. We shall, for the sake of convenience, translate these terms as positive and negative ethers respectively.
Each of them is a single, indivisible, homogeneous continuum pervading the entire occupied universe (loka), but does not extend beyond it. In fact, they are the causes of the finiteness of the loka.
Temporally, they are beginningless and eternal. Being non-physical and non-corporeal (amurta), they are devoid of sense-qualities of smell, taste, etc., and, therefore, imperceptible to the sense-organs and physical instruments. Immobile themselves they passively assist the motion or rest of mobile stationary objects; positive ether (dharmastikaya) is the medium of dynamic state and the negative ether (adharmastikaya) is that of the static state. Not even the minutest vibration is possible without the assistance of positive ether. Hence, where there is no ether, there is neither psychical nor physical existence.
