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Gatha 606-616
Sabhyatvamargana / 677
1. The paramanu (atomic particle) with the lowest qualities is not capable of being bound anywhere, either in its own or in another's place. However, when the external and internal causes come together, it attains the qualities and gets bound.
2. When bound, the paramanu with more snigdha (oily/viscous) or ruksha (dry) qualities assimilates the one with lower qualities. The binding of that paramanu can be with a countable number of pradesha (spatial units), with innumerable or infinite pradesha skandhas (aggregates), or even with another paramanu.
Visheshaartha:
- Binding occurs due to snigdha or skilled qualities. The pudgala (matter) with the parya (mode) of snehana (oiliness) produced by external and internal causes is snigdha. Its derivation is 'snihyate smeti snigdhah'.
- The pudgala with the parya of rukhshata (dryness) is ruksha. The dharma (property) of snigdha pudgala is snigdhata, and of ruksha pudgala is rukhshata.
- The binding with characteristics like dvyanuka (diatomic) etc. is the function of snigdhata and rukhshata.
- When two paramanus with snigdha and ruksha qualities combine, the skandha named anu is formed. Similarly, skandhas with countable, innumerable, and infinite pradesha are produced.
- There are variations of snigdha quality like one, two, three, four, countable, innumerable, and infinite. Similarly, there are variations of ruksha quality.
- Just as oil, goat's milk, cow's milk, buffalo's milk, and camel's milk have increasing amounts of snehaguna, and panshu, kannika, and sharkara have lesser amounts of rukhshaguna, a similar inference of more or less snigdha and ruksha qualities can be made for paramanus.
Shanka: What is the characteristic of samshlesha bandha (compound binding)?
Samadhan: The binding that occurs due to the mutual samshlesha (combination) of lac and wood is samshlesha bandha. The word jatu (lac) indicates the acceptance of vajralepa (diamond-like coating) and maina etc. sticky substances.
Shanka: If one quality is called the lowest quality, then what is the measure of that lowest quality?
Samadhan: No, that lowest quality arises from infinite vibhaga praticchedas (divisional sub-units).
Shanka: What are vibhaga praticchedas?
Samadhan: The minimal increase in a paramanu is called vibhaga praticcheda. Based on this measure (of vibhaga praticcheda), the lowest or highest qualities of a paramanu can be determined, which are infinite times more than all living beings.
Shanka: If the word 'one quality' is used for the lowest quality with infinite vibhaga praticchedas, then the use of 'two qualities' should be there for two lowest qualities, otherwise the word 'two' would not be available.