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Combination of Matter
337
comprising nine different atoms. I “The combined atoms (sařghāta-paramāņu) alone appear in phenomenal reality, the simple ones, or infra-atomic elements, presumably, were relegated to the transcendental reality, in accordance with the general character of a Buddhist element. This device made it an easy task for the Buddhists to oppose indivisibility of atoms."?
According to the later Vaibhāsikas, air-atoms form air by aggregation, fire-atoms constitute fire by aggregation, wateratoms form water by aggregation and earth-atoms form earth by aggregation. The elements combine to constitute inorganic substances, organism and organs.
In the physical sciences the combination of Matter is explained in this way that atoms are capable of free existence. "Every atom exerts a force upon every other atom."4 They combine with other atoms and form molecules by the force of attraction when the atoms are at a distance apart greater than their normal diameters, changing to a force of repulsion if the atoms are forced very close together. Thus there will be a tendency for atoms, because of their force of attraction to draw together and stick."5 That is to say, the atoms of one substance combine with those of another to form molecules in the process of chemical reactions taking place between two substances. The molecules constituting a substance attract each other by the inter-molecular forces of attraction. This force of attraction between them is very strong when the distance between 1. The actual number of atoms in a samghāta paramāņu will
be much greater, since each atom of secondary (bhautika) matter needs a set of four primary atoms of its own, but if dhātus alone are reckoned, the number will express the classes (dhātu) of elements (dharmas) represented (cf. Ab.
K. ii. 2), Ibid. 2. Ibid. 3. P. S. A. H., pp. 92-93. 4. Atoms and the Universe, p. 126. 5. Ibid.
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