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Jain Theory of Skandhas or Molecules 789
Uttaradhyana
Burning coal without smoke Straw/cowdung fire Flame Ulka Pure fire Electric lightning
Table 5. Various Types of Fires in Jaina Canons Dashvaikalika Tattwarthsara Pragyapena Shantisuri
12 Burning coal Burning coal Burning coal Burning coal without smoke without smoke without smoke without smoke Straw/cowdung Straw/cowdung Straw/cowdung Straw/cowdung fire fire fire
fire Flame Flame Flame
Flame Ulka
Ulka
Ulka Fuelless fire Fuelless fire Fuelless fire Fuelless fire
Electric
Electric
lightning lightning Halfburnt
Halfburnt wood fire
wood fire Common fire Common fire
Star fires Star fire (kanak) Lamp fire Lamp fire
Fire by rubbing Gem fire Nirghat fire
Shastri41 has raised a point on the nature of taijasa body-fourth out of five bodiesliving beings possess. It is the cause of heat, activity and digestion in the body. It is said to be fire invisible, devoid of impediments, caused by supernatural powers and luminating others while luminous by itself. It consists of an aggregate of infinite real atoms which are infinite times the number of atoms in the earlier bodies. Due to dense packing, it becomes finer. This luminous body is made up of energy skandhas or taijasa varganas42 whose size is between aharaka (heat ?) and bhasa varganas. This point has been commented upon earlier. Jain and Javeri48 have called it electrical or electromagnetic in nature. This is found in every living beings from birth to death. Per chance heat or ahara is converted into this energy for the body to be active and living. It may itself be inactive but it makes the others active. Thus, the taijasa body is thermal or electrical form of the fire skandhas.
Akalanka44 has described this body in thirteen ways. Accordingly, its luininosity is as white as cronch. It produces anger and happiness in the living and creates burning and combustion in others. Its size is innumerableth part of an angula, i.e. less than 10-15 cm. It is infinite and universal. It has a max. age of 66 sagaropam-a unit difficult to define
41. See ref. 21 42. See ref. 3, p. 268 43. (a) See ref. 13, p. 57 : (b) See ref. 17, p. 116 44. Akalanka, Bhatta; Rajvartika-1, Bhartiya gyanpith, Delhi, 1954, p. 153
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