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The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
into its own natural smell. There does not take place the destruction of the natural smell of a paramāņu in the state of its combination with another paramāņu or paramāņus.
With regard to taste there exists in paramāņu any one of the following five tastes, viz. bitter, sour, astringent, acidic and sweet.2 But there cannot exist in it more than one taste. The capacity of taste can be onefold up to infinitefold.3 A paramāņu, having assumed the form of aggregation by combining with another paramāņu or paramāņus can undergo transformation into the taste of another paramānu or of paramāņus. But its natural taste is not destroyed. On its dissociation from a skandha a paramāņu again transforms itself into its own natural taste. There is no mixed taste in it.4
As to the quality of touch there exist in a paramānu any two unopposing touch of four touches, viz. śrta-snigdha (coldcohesive), śíta-rūksa (cold-dry), uşna-snigdha (warm-cohesive) and usna-rūkņa (warm dry).5 Therefore, a paramāņu may either be (1) cold-cohesive or (2) cold-dry or (3) warm-cohesive or (4) warm-dry. There is neither heavy nor light touches in it because it in aguru laghu (neither heavy nor light) and there is neither hardness nor softness in it, for these qualities are existent in a gross molecule. Its capacity of coldness, warmth, cohesiveness and dryness is onefold up to infinitefold. 8
GROUP OF PARAMĀŅUS (ULTIMATE ATOM)
ACCORDING TO THEIR QUALITIES
From the aspect of category (jāti) there are many groups of paramāņus because of variousness of bhāva-guņas (condi1. Paramānukhandaşaţtrimśikā, p. 1. 2. Bhs., 20. 5. 668; 18. 6. 630. 3. Bhs., 25. 4. 740; Pudgalasattriñśikā, pp. 5-6. 4. Paramānukhandaşaţtrimśikā, pp. 1.4. 5. BhS., 20. 5. 668; RV., pp. 491-2. 6. Bhs., 25. 4. 740; Pudgalaşattriņśikā, pp. 5, 6.
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