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NON-MATERIAL AND MATERIAL SUBSTANCES
instance, this direction is here. (The east is in this direction of sunrise.)
The special characteristics of substances are described next. नित्यावस्थितान्यरूपाणि 118 11 (4)
Nityavasthitanyarūpāni
4. (The substances are) eternal, fixed in number and colourless (non-material).
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'Nityam' means eternal. It is formed from the verb ni with the addition of the suffix' tyaḥ'.
The substances such as the medium of motion, the medium of rest, etc., never lose (are never dissociated from) their special characteristics of facilitating movement, rest, etc., and their common characteristics of existence etc. Hence these are eternal, because these are indestructible. It is stated later that to be eternal is not to lose its nature of permanence in change. Since the fixed number is not violated, the substances remain fixed in number, and do not at any time exceed the fixed limit of six. So these are said to remain constant. These are colourless as these do not possess colour (form). By negation of colour, the accompanying attributes of taste, smell and touch also are negatived. Hence these are colourless, that is non-material.
Just as the common characteristics of eternity and fixity in number characterize all substances, so non-materiality also would apply to matter. Hence the exception is mentioned. रूपिण: पुद्गलाः
Rupinaḥ pudgalaḥ 5. Things which have form constitute matter (pudgalas) Rūpa means form. What is form? The effect of the aggregation of colour, taste, etc. is form. Things which have form are called material objects. Otherwise 'rupa' is a word denoting a certain quality. And things which possess this quality are material objects (rūpins). It does not however mean that. taste, smell, etc., are excluded, as colour is inseparably connected with these. The plural 'pudgalah' is used in order to indicate the different forms of matter, such as atoms and
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