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The Conception of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
rium, iodine, xenon, cacasium, barium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymum, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, yetterbium, lutecium, hafnium, tantalum, wolfram, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury, thallium, lead, bismuth, polonium, astatine, radon, francium, radium, acitinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutinium, amercium, curium, berkelium, californiam. einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and lawencium.1
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It is noteworthy that the Jaina literature mentions a number of basic elements of Matter some of which are common to both the physical sciences and Jaina chemistry, e. g. silicon, sulphur, iron, zinc, copper, tin, lead, silver, gold, murcury,' 2 etc. It shows that like the alchemists of the middle ages the Jainācāryas also conceived the idea of pure elements of Matter as distinguished from its base forms on the basis of the knowledge of their experimental study of making gold, silver, etc.3 with their keen insight in the womb of Nature even in the absence of developed experimental science of modern age.
1. General Chemistry, Pauling.
2. Suvarṇa-Raupya-Siddhi-Śāstra, Jinadattasūri (VS. 1210). 3. Ibid.
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