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DHARMA AND ETHER
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ignorant about such an important one When the problems such as, 'How can the light (from the sun, the stars or the planets and other cosmic bodics) traverse throuh the vacuum. They believed that, without a medium, the light which has weight cannot travel from one place to another This problem forced the scientists to search for some medium of motion as a result of which, the concept of 'Ether' was evoloved. It is believed that, the ether is not only present in the vacuum space between the stars, planets and other cosmic bodies, but also in the interspace inside the tiny atoms
In the earlier speculations about ether, it was also believed that, the ether is not a non-material but a material substance That it possesses a definite type and amount of elasticity and density. The amount of elasticity and density was also estimated, but it was doubtful And on account of various other problems, the attention of the scholars was not attracted towards that point.
The following illustration will help to understand the function of ether -
A boat arrives at the landing stage in a river and is made fast. The boatman drawing their cars, and keep them in such a way that their ends are hanging out from the edge of the boat. Drops of
water are falling down from the oars which falls produce a circle (in the
water) the Every drop