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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
of nature. Its function, however, is not to bring things to rest or to interfere with their motion in any way; but only to enable them to become stationary when their motion ceases, from whatsoever cause or causes that might happen.
This finishes our survey of the two substances known as Dharma and Adharma.
We now pass on to a consideration of the last of the six substances of Jainism, known as Pudgala, or matter, which is illusory according to Vedanta, but a reality according to Jainism. However illusory the matter, it certainly does not come into existence from nowhere. No matter by what name we may ultimately decide to call it, it is something which cannot be ignored. Even if it be regarded as illusory, its reality is not open to dispute, since an illusion is not an absolute nonentity. Look upon it in any way we might, we have to recognize its existence, in some form or other, since there is and can be no creation in the sense of a miracle, i.e., a making of something out of nothing, except that of forms. Matter, however, is not form, but the material basis of all forms.
Jainism points out that matter exists in six different forms, that is, as (1) sukshma-sukshma, or exceedingly fine, (2) sukshma, that is, fine, (3) sukshma-sthula, which is invisible to the eye, but capable of being perceived with some other sense or senses, (4) sthula-sukshma, that is visible to the eye, (5) sthula, i.e., gross, as water, and (6) sthula-sthula, i.e., exceedingly gross.
There is another aspect of matter known to Jainism as karma-pudgala ; but we shall refer to it later when
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