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SUTRA 36.
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inevitable condition for union amongst elementary particles is expressed in the following sütra.
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SŪTRA 36.
द्वयधिकादिगुणानां तु ॥ ३६ ॥
DVYADHIKĀDI-GUŅĀNĀM TU [36]
According to Digambaras this is equivalent to :
(द्वि-अधिक- आदिगुणानाम् सदृशानाम् विसदृशानाम् परमाणूनां परस्परेण बन्धस्तु भवति । )
A positive or a negative elementary particle combines with another of a similar or a dissimilar type if they differ in their degrees of snigdhatva or rūkṣatva by two units.
The Svetambaras do not recognize this as a necessary stipulation for the union of the particles of dissimiler types.
It is difficult to interpret this sutra strictly on the lines of modern science for certain reasons. We have pointed out before that the heavy electron, the mesons, or the negative proton can reasonably be looked upon as its being formed by the union of the ultimate particles, the electrons; similarly a proton can be thought as made up of 1,850 positrons. In fact on pages 156 ante we have cited these as the examples of 'ruksa combining with ruksa and snigdha combining with snigdha particles. These operations of union appear to be carried out either in the deep interiors of the nuclei of the atoms or in certain secret corners of the interstellar space where physical conditions are favourable for such a union. Therefore it has not been possible to study the laws which govern such
342
342. On p. 54 of The New Chemistry by Andrade the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom have been plotted against the corresponding neutrons. A glance at the figure shows that there is a valley of stability running accross the diagram..... Combinations well away from the valley are impossible'. Says the author of the book, "One of the problems of new chemistry is to find convincing reasons for this. In other words, what are the rules which will enable us to predict which combinations of protons and neutrons are stable, which unstable and which impossible? So far they have not been discovered."
