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EARTH' A MYSTERY
ried so far that in the end such insoluble problems as regressus ad infinitum (Anavastha dosa) material cause (Upadan), and reduction to nothingness (Hani) etc. would arise. In the scientific age, the view of the God as creator has little weight "The matter is transmutable by itself" is proved to be a fact The sun, the moon, the stars, the earth etc are created and destroyed by natural changes Their material cause, the matter itself is indestructible The science also would have believed the objects of the nature, like earth etc. as permai ent in their shape etc, but, for the problem facing them that how any object composed of atoms can remain permanent? Construction and destruction are normal activities of the nature The view of Jainism can solve even this problem It believes, that even though the construction and destruction are the inherent properties of the atoms, which are the substantial (Upadan) cause, of the material world, there are certain representatives of physical world, which inspite of keeping the same shape, undergo the destruction and construction In other words, these reactions take place in them internally according to natural laws The constituent atoms of these entities in the state of destruction become more and mole apart from one another at every moment and the atoms in the state of construction go an adding to these entities After a considerable lapse of time all the original atoms of the entity (Samsthan), one by one, would be replaced by new ones, but in outward appearance.
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