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THE SUMMARY
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to the Jaina thinkers several millenniums ago.568
Matter is then thought of as made up of Skandhas (molecules), skandhadeśas (atoms), skandhapradeśas (ionised or stripped atoms) and paramāņus (invisible elementary particles such as the electrons and the positrons). In conformity with the version of the modern kinetic and electron theories of matter, the Jaina philosophy also regards elementary particles inside an atom and molecules in a piece of matter to be in a state of motion. (Vide page 136 ante). With regard to the formation of molecules three processes are enumerated by the Jainas, viz. division, union and the combined process of simultaneous division and union, corresponding to the electro-valent, co-valent and co-ordinate methods of linking atoms in modern science. The breaking up of molecules 369 is attributed to two different causes, internal and external. The phenomenon of radio-activity is an example of breakning up due to some internal cause and dissociation of the molecules in solution, the thermal and pressure ionisations and breaking under artificial bombardment are examples of breaking due to external causes. The phenomenon of ionisation is described as due to the simultaneous separation and union of the molecules. "Just when one molecule breaks, the detached part attaches itself to another molecule", says the author of Sarvartha-siddhi. The formation of the mechanical mixtures of matter and that of the chemical compounded as a result of reactions were known respectively as no-karmabandha and ajīva visayabandha. Coming to the subject of extrafine matter, the sixth and the last division, as quoted on page 71 ante, it is defined as composed of skandhas made up of one or two paramāņus and no more, and paramānu is the last particle of pudgala which cannot be sub-divided by any means whatsoever. The paramāņus are of two kinds called the kārya paramaņu and
368. The true nature of sound was also known to the Jaina thinkers. Unlike the other Indian systems of thought which associate sound with aether or space (akása), Jaina system explains it as being due to the vibrations of the molecules. Sound is further divided into Musical sounds and Noises and the musical sounds produced by the vibrations of strings, reeds, pipes, belts and stretched membranes are given different names (See pages 127-129
369. According to the Jaina view, the modern atom is in fact a molecule and the author of the present work makes bold to say that some thing akin to Raman effect will sume dar be discovered in the atoms also, thus bringing them into the category of the molecules. Already the nuclear spin and nuclear statistics of nucleii of atoms like hydrogen, nitrogen etc. have been calculated with the help of Raman lines.
