Paryāya: Doctrine of Pariṇāma
By Rajjan Kumar
Summary
The essay “Paryāya: Doctrine of Pariṇāma” provides a detailed exposition of the Jain concept of paryāya (modes) and its relation to dravya (substance) and guṇa (qualities). In Jain metaphysics, a substance (dravya) possesses intrinsic qualities (guṇas) and is always accompanied by modes or states (paryāyas). The article argues that reality is dynamic: every substance continuously undergoes origination (utpāda), destruction (vyaya) and permanence (dhrauvya), and this triple activity explains how substances remain permanent while exhibiting changing modes. The author distinguishes between general and particular attributes, explaining that guṇas are permanent while paryāyas are transient modifications. He draws on classic Jain texts to define different types of paryāya—arthaparyāya (intrinsic change), vyajñānaparyāya (manifested change), jīvaparyāya (modes of soul) and ajīvaparyāya (modes of non‑soul)—and shows how they apply to all six dravyas (soul, matter, motion, rest, time and space). Through examples like gold being fashioned into ornaments, he clarifies that a substance retains its essential nature (gold) even as its modes change (ring, bracelet, etc.). The essay also discusses how Achāryas Kundakunda and Umaswati interpret paryāya as an essential category for understanding transformation and permanence, and how paryāya links cosmic processes to individual experience. In closing, the author relates paryāya to broader Jain cosmology, arguing that understanding the infinite modes of substances is key to comprehending the universe and the path to liberation.
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Conclusion
The article demonstrates that paryāya is central to Jain philosophy: it reconciles the apparent contradiction between permanence and change by showing that substances endure through continuous transformations of their modes. Understanding paryāya and its types clarifies how qualities remain constant while states vary and underscores the Jain view that liberation involves recognising the transient nature of worldly modes and focusing on the eternal substratum of the soul.