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Atom in Jain Philosophy
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transformed by the agency of vital processes, mentioned above but undergoes auto-transformation is mišra (mixed) - parinata. Shoe- leather is an instance of this class. Transformation which is partly under the influence of jīva and partly autotransformation, is also miśra-parinata.
(iii) Matter which undergoes auto-transformation i.e. which has no interaction with jīva is visrasā-parinata. Clouds, rainbow, meteors, etc. are instances of this class.1
(D) Four Types
From structural aspect, physical reality can be classified into four types :
(i) Skandha (ii) Skandha-desa (iii) Skandha-pradeśa (iv) Paramānu
These are the four basic structural modification of pudgala, out of which infinite modes are produced.
(1) Skandha : Skandha is defined as an individual aggregate formed by combination of ultimate atoms or small composite bodies. The smallest skandha is a dvipradesīya skandha (diatomic aggregate) produced by the combination of only two paramānus and the largest is 'acitta mahāskandha' which is the material body extending over the whole cosmos (loka).
(ii) Skandha-desa : Deśa means a fraction, and not a whole. A skandha is divisible, because it is made up of number of parts. Thus, if a skandha is mentally divided, any fractional portion (1/2, 1/4 and so on) is skandha-deśa. This is an example of physical division. Chemically a substance may be a compound of two or more elements. In this case, each element is a skandha-deśa. For example, a molecule of water is a compound of two elements viz. hydrogen and oxygen. A molecule of water is a skandha, while atoms of hydrogen and oxygen unit are skandha-deśa. This is an example of chemical division. It should be remembered that
1. Radio-active substances are also the instances of this class.
