Dravyasaṃgraha offers a compact but far‑reaching vision of reality by affirming that existence is constituted by six fundamental, eternal substances: soul (jīva), matter (pudgala), the media of motion and rest (dharma and adharma), space (ākāśa), and time (kāla). Each of these is real, uncreated, and endowed with its own intrinsic nature, yet each also undergoes continuous modification. This yields a distinctive metaphysical stance: reality is neither a single, undifferentiated whole nor a mere flux of momentary events, but a plurality of enduring substances expressing themselves through changing modes. The text thus argues for a robust ontological realism and substance pluralism, while still acknowledging the pervasive dynamism of becoming.

Within this framework, the soul is treated as a conscious, active substance whose defining mark is awareness itself. Souls are infinite in number, intrinsically pure and luminous, yet empirically found in bondage through their association with karmic matter. Matter, by contrast, is non‑conscious, existing in atomic forms that can aggregate into gross bodies and subtle karmic particles. Only soul and matter are active in the sense of movement and interaction, while the remaining substances provide the conditions that make motion, rest, location, and temporal succession possible. This sharp distinction between jīva and ajīva undergirds a dualistic realism in which consciousness and non‑consciousness are equally real yet irreducibly different.

A further philosophical strand in Dravyasaṃgraha is its account of permanence amid change. Substance (dravya) is said to persist through the transformations of its modes, so that being and becoming are not opposed but intertwined. The soul, for example, remains the same conscious entity while its states vary under the influence of karmic association and spiritual practice. Similarly, matter retains its essential nature while passing through countless configurations. This vision of enduring essences undergoing ceaseless modification serves as the metaphysical backdrop for the path of liberation, where the eradication of karmic matter through right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct allows the soul to manifest its inherent purity and attain its natural, liberated state.