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The Conception of Matter in Jaina Philosophy
is attractive because of its nature of cohesiveness, fire is cooker or warm because of its heat, and air is motive because of its nature of motion.1
These four elements are defined in the Vaibhāșika texts as Dhātu (element) and Mahābhūta (fundamental or general elements of Matter). Now, it is clearly understood that according to the Vaibhāșika school, ‘rūpa' signifies colours, such as, blue, yellow, etc. and shapes, such as, short, long, etc. In the Vaibhāasika work these parimāṇas (dimensions) have been explained by the name of samsthāna (shape), just as it is found in the Jaina works. Dharmas (element) which are known as earth, water, fire and are accepted as Rūpa (Matter) according to the said view because of colour and shape of these Dharinas on the basis of the above analysis of them.
In the Vaibhāșika texts the objects having colour and shape have again been known by the appellation of Dhātu and Mahābhūta. The contention of this fact is this that as colour and shape, the same definition of earth, water, etc., are known by one term, Rūpa’, because every one of them is Dharma having colour and shape. In order to explain them separately in the text přthividhātu, jaladhātu, tejodhātū and vāyudhātu (earth, water, fire and air) have been dealt with by such dhātvantasamjñās (terminologies). They do not call to mind the meaning in the sense of colour and shape. On the other hand, hardness, etc. point separately to the list of ten objects having colour and shape. 2
The word 'Pộthividhātu' denotes only hard natured colours and shapes, cohesive (attractive) colour and shape are not 1. Dhrtyādikarmasamsiddhāḥ kharasnehosnateranāḥ
-Abh. K., 1.12. 2. Pșthividhāturaptejovāyudhātavaḥ-Abh. K., 1.12;
Dhātugrahaņaṁ varna samsthānātmakaprthivyādinirāsārtham svalakṣaṇopādāyarūpadhāraņādvā dhātava iti, kāthinyādisvabhāvalakşaņas cakşurādyupädāyasvarūpām ca dadhātiti dhātavaḥ -- Ibid., Sphutārthā.
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