Within the framework of the Dravyasamgraha, dharma and adharma are presented not as moral categories of virtue and vice, but as two among the fundamental substances that structure reality. They are conceived as non-sentient, formless, inactive, and eternal principles that condition how other substances—especially souls (jīva) and matter (pudgala)—can either move or remain at rest. This shift from ethical to ontological meaning invites a more contemplative appreciation of how Jain thought understands the very architecture of the cosmos. Rather than prescribing conduct, these two dravyas describe the conditions that make any movement or stillness possible at all.

Dharma, in this metaphysical sense, functions as the principle or medium of motion. It does not itself move, nor does it actively impel other entities to move; instead, it serves as the passive substrate that allows motion to occur. Traditional imagery likens it to water that enables fish to swim: the water does not cause the fish to move, yet without water their movement would be impossible. Dharma pervades the entire cosmic space (lokākāśa), and only within this domain can motion of souls and matter take place. Without this subtle, pervasive presence, no movement would be possible anywhere in the universe.

Adharma, correspondingly, is described as the principle or medium of rest. Just as dharma makes motion possible, adharma makes stillness possible, providing the condition under which souls and matter can come to a standstill or remain stationary. The traditional analogy is that of shade enabling a traveler to stop and rest; the shade does not force rest, but creates the possibility for it. Like dharma, adharma is passive, formless, eternal, and pervades the entire cosmic space, existing only within the bounds of the loka. Without adharma, nothing could remain at rest; all entities would lack the very condition that allows cessation of movement.

Both dharma and adharma are thus understood as imperceptible and only inferable through their effects, working silently as indispensable conditions rather than as active agents. They are indivisible and uniform throughout the cosmic space, ensuring that the possibilities of motion and rest are evenly available wherever existence unfolds within the loka. This vision portrays the universe as upheld by subtle, ever-present media that do not command, but quietly enable the dynamic and static states of all beings and things. Such an account encourages reflection on reality not merely as a collection of moving and resting entities, but as a finely balanced field of underlying principles that sustain the order of the cosmos.