Jain Journal 1989 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

JANUARY, 1989
97
qualities will transform an ultimate atom having the lower ones.184 It is explained by Umasvati in his Tattvārthādhigama Sūtra that some skandha (molecule or aggregate) is formed by the process of combination of ultimate atoms, some by that of dissociation of molecules and some by both the processes of combination and dissociation of ultimate atoms 185 or molecules. When one binary molecule is formed by the combination of two discrete ultimate atoms, then it is called dvipradesika skandha produced by the combination of two ultimate atoms. Similarly, tripradesika, catupradesika, saṁkhyātapradesika, asaṁkhyātapradesika, anantapradesika up to anantānantapradesika skandha are formed by the combination of three four, countable, countless, infinite up to infinite-fold infinite ultimate atoms respectively 186 and so on.
The ultimate atom is not the effect of any material substance, for this reason the combination of material substances is not possible in the origination. It has been conceived as eternal ; nevertheless here its origination which is spoken in of the aphorism 'bhedādanuh' is explained from the point of view of paryāya (mode), i.e. an ultimate atom is eternal as substance, but it is also producible (janya) from the modal point of view. The states of its existence sometimes as the constituent element of a molecule and sometimes as discrete atom, because of being dissociated from molecule are its paryāya (modes or particular conditions). Its discrete state (višakalita avasthā) originates by the disintegration of molecule, for this reason, here the purport of the statement 'bhedādamuh' is this much that, the ultimate atom having discrete state is the effect (kārya) of the disintegration of the molecule, not the pure ultimate atom.187
In the physical science the transformation of atomic matter is explained by the chemical behaviour of it in the following manner. “Why molecules can sometimes inter-change atoms and form new substance, and why molecules already formed can sometimes dissociate again into
184 bandhe samadhikau parinamikau, Tattvarthadhigamasutra, ch. V. 36. 185 sanghatad-bhedat sanghatabhedadi tellyastribhyah karanebhyah skandha utpadyante
dvipradesaelayah, Tattvarthahhasya, V, 26, p. 366. 186 tadyatha-dvayoh paramanvah sanghatat dvipradesah dvipradesasyanosca sanghatat
tripradesah, evam samkhyeyanamasamkhyeyanam ca pradesanam sanghatat tavat pradesah, Tattvarthadhigamasutra Bhasya, p. 367.
esmeva bhedad-dvipradesaparyantah, Ibid., p. 370. 187 bhedadeva paramanurut padyate, na sanghataditi, Ibid., p. 371 ; see also the Tika of
Siddhasena Ganin, Ibid., p. 371.