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11
DRAVYA (SUBSTANCES) GUN (QUALITIES) AND
PARYAY (MODIFICATIONS)
We learnt in the 8th chapter that this universe is made up of six dravyas. Transformations keep taking place in the qualities and modified forms of these dravyas. The working of the universe is nothing but this action going on. Dravya is that which has qualities; which has many kinds of potentialities and which can assume many modified forms and states. Only when dravyas exist in samsar, can, on their basis, qualities, modified forms, and power exist.
There is a difference between quality and a modified form.
Qualities are those that exist along with
स्वहभाविनो गुणा : the objects.
Tant qufur: ing gradually.
Modifications are those that keep chang
For example; we say gold is hard, yellow and that it glitters. Yellowness, hardness and brightness are said to be the qualities of gold. With this gold, a necklace can be made and bangles can be made and they are the various modified forms of gold.
In the same manner, the soul has qualities and modifications. The soul has knowledge, faith, fortitude and felicity. These are the qualities of the soul. The soul that exists in the body undergoes modifications gradually. One grows from a child to a boy; a boy to a young man; a young man to an adult; an adult to an old man-childhood, adolescence, youth, manhood and old age are states or modifications. They gradually keep changing.
From certain points of view, even qualities have their modifications. Knowledge is a quality but we acquire a knowledge of various things. First, we acquire the knowledge of the sunrise; then we acquire a knowledge of the noon and at the end we acquire a knowledge of the sunset. These are also called modifications.
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