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The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
of the emergence and development of Indian philosophy of a period in the field of metaphysical knowledge, when the speculative Indian mind with logical nicety went on to search out the basic principle of dissolution and creation of the material universe. In this speculation the Samkhya-Yoga, Vaiseṣika, Nyaya, MImāṁsaka, Bauddha, Vedanta and Jaina systems of thought have attacked the problem from their respective angles of vision and made attempts at the explanation and interpretation of the root cause of Atomism. The Carvākas have admitted four or five elements of Matter as the basis of creation with a support for Atomism.
A study of Atomism of all the Indian systems of thought reveals that Jaina philosophy is the advocate of the atomic theory like the Nyaya-Vaiseṣika. Nevertheless, the nature of atom conceived in this school of thought is not identical with that of atom of the Nyaya-Vaišeṣika. But it compares well with the nature of Prakṛti of the Samkhya. for atom of this philosophy is transformable like Prakṛti of the Samkhya. On this ground atom of the Jainas changes into many forms like earth, water, fire, etc. just as Prakṛti is the material cause of many effects, such as, earth, water, fire, air, etc. It is not admitted by Jaina philosophy that the material atoms like earth-atoms, water-atoms, etc, are always basically of different classes. Atom of Jaina metaphysics is finer than atom of the Nyaya-Vaiseṣika, but it is unmanifest like Prakṛti of the Samkhya. Anantaparamāṇuvāda (concept of infinite ultimate atoms) of Jaina philosophy is not far from but nearer to the concept of infinite plurality of Prakṛtis of the early Saṁkhya (with regard to the plurality of Purusa), i. e. "each being attached to a different Purusa (Self)." The phenomenalist atomic conception of the Buddhist philosophy is contrary to the substantive atomic theory of the Jaina, Nyaya-Vaiśesika and other Indian systems of thought. As regards the antiquity of Atomism, Jaina Atomism is earlier than Greek Atomism.
The fifth chapter deals with 'Properties of Matter'-general properties, motion and oscillation of Matter in the light of
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