Answer

No — in Jain Dharma, an apple does not fall because of dharma and adharma in the moral sense. Here, dharma dravya means the medium that helps motion, and adharma dravya means the medium that helps rest. They are not causes like a push or a force.

And Atma is not inside a fruit. A fruit is non-living matter. Atma exists only in living beings.

Explanation

There are a few important clarifications:

• Dharma dravya in Jain philosophy is not “religion” or “virtue.”

- It is a subtle substance that supports movement.

• Adharma dravya is a subtle substance that supports rest.
• They do not create motion by themselves.

- They are like the space that allows movement or rest to happen.

• A falling apple is explained in Jain thought through material conditions and motion-related conditions.

- Jainism does not say the apple falls only because of dharma dravya in a simplistic way.

About Atma:

• Atma is not physical matter.
• It is known through the presence of consciousness, awareness, life, and experience.
• Because a fruit does not show consciousness, Jainism does not treat a fruit as having Atma.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma teaches that reality is very subtle.

• Jiva = living soul, conscious
• Ajiva = non-living matter, including fruit, earth, water, air, and space
• Dharma/Adharma dravya = conditions that make motion/rest possible

So Jainism is not saying imagination replaces science. It is saying that the universe has both visible causes and subtle metaphysical principles.

The Atma is understood not as an object to be seen like a fruit, but as the living presence of awareness in living beings.

Takeaway

• Fruit is not Atma.
• Dharma and Adharma dravya are not moral forces.
• They are Jain metaphysical principles related to motion and rest.
• Atma is known by consciousness, not by being inside every object.

If you want, I can also explain dharma dravya and adharma dravya in very simple examples.