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## Chapter 254 of the Jiva Kanda
Verse 12 is missing, and the air lacks smell, taste, and form. However, the Vaisheshika's claim is not justified, because the four elements are formed from the same type of atoms. But due to specific transformations, some qualities are manifest, while others remain latent. In some, the smell quality is latent, in some smell and taste, and in some smell, taste, and color are all latent. This is why they are not perceived by the senses. However, no atom or element can be devoid of any of the four qualities: touch, taste, smell, and color. Because the absence of a quality would lead to the destruction of the atom.
This verse is composed keeping the Vaisheshika view in mind, as it only mentions the four qualities of touch, taste, smell, and color in the bodies of the four stationary elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Among them, touch is of eight types: soft, rough, heavy, light, cold, hot, smooth, and rough. Taste is of five types: bitter, sour, pungent, sweet, and astringent. Smell is of two types: fragrant and foul. Color is of five types: black, blue, yellow, white, and red. Depending on the combination of atoms, there are countless variations of these qualities. The salty taste is included within the sweet taste. Even though smell, etc., are latent in water, etc., their presence is still perceived due to the manifest nature of the touch quality, which is in harmony with them. This is because the other qualities are inseparably connected with the touch quality, making it the dominant one.
There are 36 types of earth, including earth, sand, sugar, etc., which are as follows:
* Earth, sand, sugar, boiled stone, salt, iron, copper, zinc,
* Spadic stone, hingul, death stone, sasganjan, pavala,
* Ambapadlagbhavallu, vadar kaya, mani vidhiya,
* Gomjhage, rujage, phalihe, lohidake,
* Chandapbhe, velie, jalakate, surakate,
* Geru, chandan, vavag, kyamoe, tah masaragallo.
Know these types of earth and avoid them.