Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 001663
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: J C Sikdar
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi
Publication Year: 1987
Total Pages: 412
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Physics
File Size: 23 MB

Page 221

186 The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy matter, is something which exists in Nature, though in different kinds. It pervades throughout this universe, but it has no bulk to be perceived by our senses. It has also no weight and knows no extension or compression."1 It is to be noted that “work, whatever be its nature, can never be produced without expenditure of energy. Energy is, therefore, defined as the cause of work. So, energy and work are synonymous, i. e. what is energy is work and what is work is energy." For this reason “energy is qualitatively measured by work. As work may be of various types, the corresponding energies are differently named, depending on the type of work. The main divisions of energy are mechanical energy (energy possessed by matter on account of position, configuration or motion), heatenergy, sound-energy, light-energy, magnetic-energy, and electric body,"2 i. e. they are the modifications of matter. “Each one of them is transformable in to any other form or forms and this shows the ultimate identicality between different kinds of energy. 8
The bodies of the prthivi-kāyika-jiva, etc., are gross or fine due to the operation of gross and fine-body-making karma respectively. As indicated before, a body which resists another body or is resisted by another one is called gross impenetrable body (ghātasarįra), while that which does not resist another body nor itself is resisted by another one is called fine body, e. g. X-Ray or Kārmaņa-śartra. Their bodies are cqual to the extent of innumerableth part of a cubic finger. Gross bodies require support, but fine bodies need no support and exist everywhere in the Universe with nothing intervening between them.4 1. Int. Physics, S. C. Ray Chowdhury & D. B. Sinha,
Calcutta, 1952, p. 2 2. Ibid., pp. 2-3, 3. Ibid., p. 3. 4. Bādarasuhumudayena ya bādarasuhumā havasti taddehā
Ghādasarfra thūlam aghādadehaṁ have suhumam; GS., Jiva., 183.