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Jaina Conception of Matter
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the natural quality of smelli together with colour, taste and touch. It is regarded by this system of thought that smell is existent only in earth, its presence in other substances like water, fire and air is not natural, but is due to the mixture of the earthly particles with them.”2 Although odour is existent in them, it cannot be apprehended by the sense-organ of smell, i. e. the nose. For “Human nose is not sensitive enough to detect the smell of these. Several cases are known where our olfactory organ fails, for instance, the cat at once smells the milk or a hound smells the chase.”3
Modern science has classified Matter into three states, viz. solid, liquid and gaseous states. Jaina metaphysics holds that Matter (pudgala) exists in the space of the Universe in the forms of earth (přthivi), water (jalaṁ), air (vāyu), etc.4 That is to say, they connote solid, liquid and gaseous states respectively and thus naturally come under the category of pudgala (matter).
In the Nyāya-Vaišesika school Äkāśa (ether)s is regarded as a material substance (bhautika dravya); it is endowed with all pervasiveness and it is a fundamental principle of creation. Besides, it is the pure space having the property of accommodation to give room to other substances. The Jaina systems of thought also maintains the view that Ākāśa is an eternal,
1. Rūparasagandhasparśavati přthivi, VS. II, 1. 1; Laksaņāvali
of Udayana, p. 18; Vyavasthitaḥ pệthivyām gandhaḥ--
VS. II, 2.3. 2. The Conception of Matter According to the Nyāya-Vaišesika,
p. 317. 3. Cosmology, Old and New, p. 78. 4. Sūtrakstāmga 1. 1. 17; Sarvārthasiddhi, p. 268;
TS. Bhā. Țikā, p. 321. 5. Ākāśakāladigātmānam sarvagatatvam paramamahattvas
sarvasamyogisamānadeśatvam ca-Bhā., p. 8; Pariseşāllingamākāśasya-VS., II. 1. 27.
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