Cosmology Old and New

Author(s): G R Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 91

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SUTRA 4.
rest
teristics; the medium of motion cannot become the medium of or the living cannot become the non-living. The number of dravyas is fixed as six; it can never be seven or five. (Leaving aside pudgala dravya) the others are non-material and formless and hence devoid of all characteristics of matter such as touch, taste, smell and colour.)
Let us now see what other Indian systems of philosophy have to say with regard to the number of dravyas in the Universe.
In Tarka-samgraha, sutra 2, the following nine dravyas as the constituent elements of the universe are enumerated :
"तत्र द्रव्याणि पृथिव्यप्तेजोवाय्वाकाशकालदिगात्ममनांसि नवैव । "
i... earth (पृथ्वी), water (जल), fire (तेज), air (वायु), space (आकाश), time (), direction (fm), soul (3), and mind (7)-these are the nine substances of the Vaisesika or Kanāda School.
Even a casual glance will show that earth, water fire and air are included in the Jaina category of pudgala dravya, for the latter has been defined as
"स्पर्शरसगन्धवर्णवन्तः पुद्गलाः "
(Tattvärtha-sutra 5.23)
(Material substances are possessed of touch, taste, smell and colour or form).
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Kanada School regards air (vayu) as without form or colour (Vide Tarka-samgraha 1-19) but even an elementary student of physics will tell you that scientists have converted air into a bluish liquid by continuous cooling just as steam can be converted into water. This is a concrete proof that air has form or colour and is therefore included in the term 'matter'.
This school regards fire11 as devoid of taste and smell and
141. It should be noted that of these four characteristics of pudgala dravya where one exists all exist although in a particular modification of it all of them may or may not be simultaneously detectable by our physical senses. As science is gradually advancing more and more sensitive instruments are being designed and some new property added to the list of properties of various substances. The chief point is that the detection of even one of these four characteristics in any element throws it in the category of pudgala. None of these characteristics is associated with the other dravyas of the universe.
142. "स्पर्श उष्णस्तेजस्तु स्याद्रूपं शुक्लभास्वरम् ।" (Muktavali)