Jain Journal 1990 10

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

Page 37

JAIN JOURNAL
active. Thus, the taijasa body is thermal or electrical form of the fire skandhas.
Akalanka44 has described this body in thirteen ways. Accordingly its luminosity is as white as conch. It produces anger and happiness in the living and creates burning and combustion in others. Its size is innumerableth part of an angula, i. e. less than 1045 cm. It is infinite and universal. It has a max. age of 66 sāgaropama-a unit difficult to define at current state of our knowledge. These points are based on the skandha nature of taijasa body and require deeper studies for comparative evaluation.
Thaker 45 has raised one more point regarding the livingness of light and electricity. Current Science points out their non-living nature though the canons tell us these could be both ways. For example, air is necessary for life and lamps cannot burn without it. In contrast, electric lamps burn only in an airless atmosphere.
The Vaisesikas 46 presume taijasa atoms with hot touch and white glistening color. They consist of four forms-fuel fire, sky fire, biochemical fire and mineral fire. Out of these, the Jainas have only the first two. The biochemical fire or heat is produced in the body by which it functions. The taijasa of Jainas has been taken as heat energy. They, however, have electrical taijasa body too in addition. The mineral fire is nothing but gold obtained from minerals. This is not acceptable to the Jainas who also do not agree to the exclusive nature of hot touch to the fire skandhas which include gem fire also. Bauddhas have taijasa as a skandha with hotness causing cooking of materials.
Conclusion
The above description of molecular theory and specific skandhas of Jainas confirm, once again, that the theoretical concepts in this regard stand on better footing. The description of visible or gross world seems to be quite incomplete and small' in comparison to our current knowledge. It must however be admitted that Prajñāpanā gives the best details of the period. Another fact emerging from the above is that the canons have differing or modified contents in nearly every specific case. It is, therefore, very necessary to collect and coordinate the material to present it in a uniform way.
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Bhatta, Akalanka, Rajavartika-1, Bharatiya Gyanpith, Delhi, 1954, p. 153. Shanti Suri, op. cit., p. 29-32. Prasastapadacarya, op. cit., p. 97.