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The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
will transform an ultimate atom having lower ones.1 It is explained in the Tattvārthādhigama Sūtra that some skandha (molecule) is formed by the process of combination of ultimate atoms, some by that of dissociation of molecules and some by both the processes of combination and dissociation of ultimate atoms? or molecules. When one binary molecule is formed by combination of two discrete ultimate atoms, then it is called dvipradeśika skandha produced by combination of two ultimate atoms. Similarly, tripradeśika skandha (molecule having three units of matter), catuṣpradeśika skandha (molecule having four units of matter), samkhyātapradesika skandha (molecule having countable units), asamkhyātapradesika (molecule having countless unils), anantapradesikaskandha (molecule having infinite units) up to anantānantapradeśikaskandha (molecule having infinitefold infinite units) are formed by combination of three, four, countable countless, infinite and infinitefold-infinite ultimate atoms, 9 respectively.
The smaller and smaller skandhas which are formed by the process of disintegration of larger skandhas can be found as anantānantapradesikaskandha up to dvipradesikaskandha4 (molecule having two units)
When, on the disintegration of any skandha a new skandha is formed by the process of combination of some other material substance with the part of that skandha at the very moment, then that skandha is stated to be formed by the joint process of 1. Bandhe samadhikau parinamikau, TS., ch. V. 36. 2. Sanghātādbhedāt sanghātabhedāditebhyastribhyaḥ kāraņe
bhyaḥ skandhā utpadyante dvipradeśādyaḥ,
TS., Bhā, 5. 26, p. 366. 3. Tadyathā-dvayoḥ paramāṇvoḥ sanghātāt dvipradeśaḥ,
dvipradeśasyāņosca sarghātāttripradeśaḥ, egam samkhyeyānāmasamkhyeyānāṁ ca pradeśānāṁ sanghātāt tāvatpra
dešāḥ, TS., Bhā., p. 367. 4. Eşāmeva bhedād-dvipradeśaparyantāḥ. TS. Bhā., 5. 26,
p. 370.
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