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The Concept of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
speculation of non-sentient principle in course of time. On the other side those Indian thinkers who were not satisfied with the concept of the five elements of matter apprehended by the senses began to speculate about the cause of these reals and their nature. In this way two currents of thought on the problem of non-sentient principle arose in the field of Indian metaphysics, giving birth to the concepts of Matter. One group of Indian thinkers started to find out the fundamental cause out of the material realities on the basis of inner feeling and thought, while the other group began to think over the nature of the fundamental cause mainly on the basis of the sense-experience. The Samkhya and Brahmavādina views on it represent the first current of thought and Nyāya-Vaiśesika, Buddhist and Jaina views on this problem represent the second one.
According to Jaina metaphysics, the most visible form of Ajīvadravya (non-living substance) or Acetanatattva is Pudgalāstikāya (matter) which exists in the Universe in various forms, such as, earth, water, fire, air, shadow, objects of four senses--hearing, smell, taste and touch, physical mind, speech, bodies, etc. up to karmic matter and paramānul (ultimate etom). Pudgala is a tangible reality within the sensuous and supersensuous experiences in perceptible and imperceptible conditions. Its finest form is paramānu (ultimate atom). The .concept of Pudgala preserved in the Jaina Agamas forms the basis of the physical sciences in Jainism in a nascent form. On it a superstructure of analysis of Pudgala has been raised by Umāsvāti and other Jainācāryas in post-āgamic period and darśanakāla (age of Indian philosophy) with a synthetic view of all other Indian concepts of Matter on the basis of its existence in the Universe as a permanent substance endowed with infinite qualities (guņas) and modes (paryāyas)2 which 1. PudhavI-jala-chāyā-caurisdiyavisaya-kamma-khamdha
paramānu-Satkhandāgama, Vol. III, p. 3; Pañcāstikāyasamayasāra, 83, p. 81; Gommațasāra,
Jivakānda, V. 602. 2. Bhs., 5. 8. 221; 2. 1. 90.
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