Jain Journal 1990 10

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

Page 27

66
JAIN JOURNAL
rotation, vibration and translation. Translatory motion has highest force for chemical bonding. There are some technical terms used in this connection like parispanda and parivarta etc. which have been explained by Sikdar.
Description of Specific Skandhas
The finite variety of skandhas can be seen to exist in four specific forms-earth, water, air and fire. Kundakunda mentions them as dhātus. The four mahābhūtas of the Buddhists and four types of basic atoms of Vaisesikas remind us of some conceptual similarity. It may be suggested that they represent the various states of matter rather than the specific skandhas. Thus, the earth represents the solids, water the liquids, air the gases and fire the various forms of energies. This statement is supported by the fact that the seers have enumerated a variety of earth ranging between 21-40. However, this becomes a little doubtful when one finds that they have classified water, air and fire only in their naturally occurring forms. How they could overlook the enormous variety of liquids like oil, butterfat, äsavas etc, and gases is a matter of surprise and clarification. Another fact stated in canons is that all these skandhas are termed as living during their growth and development.26 Their hardness or adhesiveness has been taken as sign of livingness. However, they turn non-living when heated or cut. We will describe them as in canons.
The Earth
The earth, representing the class of solids, is characterised by different degree of hardness. It has valuables under and over it. Acärānga27 and Mülācāra28 have classified the earth in the first instance followed by others later. The description is based on its assumption of being one-sensed. It has been classified in four categories of earth, earth-body, earth-creature and earth-soul. Out of them, the first and second are clearly non-living, the third has been called living because of its being substratum for living entities, it is non-living. The fourth variety seems to be only living about which no clarification is available. Currently, it is debatable whether living characteristics apply to earth as a class. However, it has been shown to have many types.
26 Muni Nathmal, Dasavaikalika: Ek Samiksatmak Adhyayan, S. T. Mahasabha,
Calcutta, 1967, p. 113. 27 Santi Suri, Jiy Vicar Prakaran, Jain Mission Society, Madras, 1950, p. 23-25. 28 Battakeracarya, Mulacara-1, Bharatiya Gyanpith, Delhi, 1984, p. 177.