Scientific Foundations Of Jainism

SR No.: 022772
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: K V Mardia
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 146
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

Page 53

CYCLES OF BIRTH AND DEATH
31
ways so that they produce every form of organic and inorganic matter but exclude the soul.
The finest form of matter is called fine-fine and contains a finite number of U.P's. Thus, these are the particles from which the karmons are formed. The lowest number of karmons are in a karmic body, and a much higher number in a karmic capsule. One U.P. occupies at most one space-point. The physical energy in fine-fine is analogous to electricity. The next category of matter is fine which has several U.P.'s and thus is molecular. Like the fine-fine, fine is too small to be detected by these senses. Recall that molecules are aggregations of atoms in scientific terminology. Karmic matter on a contaminated soul is a fine matter which has an infinite number of karmons.
The karmic matter constituting the karmic body is extremely fine. Although slightly less so, the karmic capsule is also very fine and invisible and it is found in all polluted souls. These bodies are so subtle that they pass through and may be passed through by everything. (One is reminded of a neutrino's behaviour here.)
The karmic capsule is translated by some writers as magnetic body or electrical body. It is also claimed (C.R. Jain, 1929) that it is a body of luminous matter and is a necessary link between the other two bodies of the soul, the karmic body and the physical gross body. A link of this kind is needed because the matter of the karmic body is too fine and that of the physical body too gross to allow any direct or immediate interaction between them.
The next category is fine-gross. The things in this category can be recognised by the senses but are not so gross as to be visible; e.g. heat, sound, etc. which can be perceived by the four senses of touch, taste, smell or hearing, but are not tangible.
The fourth category is gross-fine which is grosser than fine-gross which cannot be seen. It is matter which looks gross or tangible but which cannot be grasped, e.g. light. Thus here light is regarded as an aggregation of particles. We can draw attention here to the notion that light is sometimes to be thought of as a stream of particles but at other times as an electro-magnetic wave. (See for example, Pedler, 1981).
The fifth category is gross which is equivalent to gases(?) / liquids and the last category is gross-gross which is equivalent to solids. These are the different states of matter. A summary of this classification of matter is given in Table 4.2. We have given here one type of classification of the matter, but Jains also use an alternative classification of twenty three main types of 'groups' of matter,