Jaina Ontology

Author(s): K K Dixit
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 59

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JAINA ONTOLOGY
made between the properties hard-touch, soft-touch, heavy-touch, and light-touch on one hand and the remaining ones on the other. And it was laid down that the relative numerical strength of the substances possessing a degree of the latter of these properties follows the above first list while that of the substances possessing a degree of the former follows the above second list. For example, among the substances possessing the mini. mum degree of black colour least numerous are the ananta-atomic aggregates, ananta times them their constituent atoms, ananta times them loose atoms, etc. etc. Similarly, among the atoms possessing the minimum degree of hard touch least numerous are those occupying one space-unit, the same is the number of the space-units occupied by them, sankhyāta times them are the substances occupying sankhyala space-units, etc. etc.
In the chapter 10th (viz. Caramapada) the question was raised as to how the features carama, acarama and ayaktavya are exhibited by physical bodies in their capacity as atomic aggregates 70. As will become clear later on the features in question are to some extent technical concepts. But broadly speaking, a carama atom is an atom lying in the border region, an acarama atom one lying in the intermediate region, an avaktavya atom one indescribable either way. Here it was supposed that each of these features can appear single, they can appear in twos, or they can appear all together; again, it was supposed that each of these features can appear either in one part of the concerned body or in more than one part of it. Now arithma. tical computation shows that thus conceived these features can appear single in six ways, they can appear in twos in twelve ways, they can appear all together in eight ways. But let these alternatives be worked out in details so that it can be seen as to which of them are supposed impossible and what is the minimum number of atoms required to yield each possible alternative :
I Six cases of each feature appearing single : Name
Shape
Minimum Number
of atoms
(1) one carama
(2) one acara na
(3) one avaktavya
(4) many caramas
(5) many acaramas (6) many avaktavyas