14 Marganas : 11. Bhavya Margana

Bhavyatva denotes the eligibility of a Jiva to attain Siddhahood. There would be two types of such Bhavya Jivas. The first one would be those who would attain Siddhahood in near future; they are known as Nikat Bhavya. The second one are those who are eligible to become siddha but would never make effort to attain it, they are still known as Bhavya. There are another category of Jivas beyond these which are known as Abhavya. These are Jivas who have neither the capability , nor would ever become Siddha. Just as some seeds would never sprout and become tree, these Jivas would never become Siddha. There difference with respect to second type of Bhavya described above is that while those Bhavyas have the capability to become Siddha , they would always remain in the world while Abhavya Jivas do not even have capability. Just as some gold impregnated stone would not get purified to become gold, those Bhavya Jivas are like such gold. On the other hand the Abhavya jivas are stone only so they would never be gold.

It may be noted that Bhavyahood is applicable to worldly Jivas only. Those Jivas who have already attained Siddhahood cannot be called Bhavya since they have attained their true nature of Jivahood. Hence the Siddha Jivas are neither Bhavya nor Abhavya.

One thing which has been clarified in the scripture is that Abhavya Jiva is in no way inferior. This is demonstrated by the fact that his knowledge also  is obscured by Keval Gyanavaraniya karma just as that of a normal Bhavya Jiva. It means that while  Bhavya Jiva may be able to overcome and destroy Keval Gyanavaraniya karma, the Abhavya Jiva would never do so. This denounces the wrong concept that Abhavya Jivas have only four gyana types excluding Keval gyana. An abhvya Jiva also has five Gyan types but his Keval gyana is always obscured and would never be revealed.

One would think that once a Jiva is Bhavya, there could be a time when he should attain Siddhahood. But it is not necessary because the number of Jivas is never ending infinite which means that Jivas would be always there even after infinite period. A question may be asked that 608 Jivas attain Siddhahood in 6 months and 8 samay hence the number is always getting depleted, then how is it possible that thenumber of Jivas would always be infinite ? The answer is that the number of Jivas in the universe is infinitely infinite which is also called Akshya Anant i.e. never ending infinity. While 608 jivas are leaving the world by attaining siddhahood in 6 months and 8 samay, exactly same number are joining the worldly transmigration by coming out of Nitya Nigod state. Nitya Nigod are such jivas who have always stayed in Nigod state all along ( see article on Nigod Jiva). In 6 months and 8 samay , 608 Jivas leave Nitya Nigod state and join the world and enter into transmigration. In this manner the number of Jivas engaged in transmigration is consistently same.

The number of such Abhavya Jivas in the universe is stated to be equal to Min Yuktanant which is a type of infinite number out of the eighteen types of infinite numbers ( see article on numbers). The number of Siddha jivas is said to be infinite times the number of Abhavya Jivas.

Abhavya Jivas could be one sensed or five sensed with mind but invariably they would always be Mithya Drishti , that means they would always remain in first Gunasthana only since they cannot ever realise their own nature and attain right belief or right knowledge.

On the other hand it would always be a Bhavya Jiva would realise himself and attain right belief and right knowledge. Once that happens then his worldly period is limited to ardh pudgala paravartan which is half of the pudgala paravartan period.( see article on five transmigrations). Although this period is also infinite but still it is a period having an end. It is not necessary that every Jiva requires that long period to attain Siddhahood after self realization, but this represents that maximum period after which he necessarily attains siddhahood.