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COSMOLOGY : OLD AND NEW
some intrinsic property which Jaina writers have been given the designation the degree of snigdhatva and ruksatva'.
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SUTRA 35. गुणसाम्ये सदृशानाम् ॥३५॥
GUNA-SĀMYE SADRŚĀNĀM [35] (न गुणसाम्ये स्निग्धरूक्षत्वानाम् सदृशानाम् परमाणूनाम् बन्धो भवति।)
Although the reading of this Sūtra is exactly identical in Digambara and Svetāmbara texts, the interpretation is not the same. According to the Svetāmbaras the interpretation is as follows:
Paramāņus (the ultimate elementary particles of matter) with equal degrees of snigdhatva or rūksatva and of the same kind cannot unite with a paramānu of their own kind. In other words, an electron would not combine with another electron or a positron with a positron if both the particles are at the same energy level but an electron can unite with a positron or vice versa under the same conditions.
The Digambara interpretation is embodied in the following commentary by Ācārya Vidyānandi in Slokavārtika, sūtra 35:
नन्वेवं विसदृशानां गणसाम्ये बन्धप्रतिषेधो न स्यादिति न मन्तव्यम्, सदृशग्रहणस्य विसदृशव्यवच्छेदार्थत्वाभावात् सदृशानामेवेत्यवधारणानाश्रयणात् ॥
(It is not correct to interpret the Sutra saying that the elementary articles of opposite kind can unite even if the degrees of snigdhatva or rūksatva are equal. This is not corroborated anywhere.)
Thus the main difference in the interpretation lies in the fact that while Digambaras deny the possibility of union for all combinations of particles at the same energy level while the Svetämbaras recognize such a possibility if the union is between particles of opposite kind. According to Digambaras, the
