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MATTER
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5. Fine Matter-It is responsible for thought-activities and is
beyond sense-perception. This type of matter is called
sūksma. 6. Extra-fine Matter - The forms of single elementary particles
are composed of extra-fine matter. It is called sūkṣma
sūkşma. Matter and Soul :
Does matter influence soul (jīva)? The Jaina system admits that matter does influence the worldly soul. How does it influence ? It forms the physical basis of the body, speech, mind and respiration of the worldly soul. The same idea is expressed in the following lines :
Matter is the cause of the making of bodies. One kind of molecules called āhāra-vargaņā forms the first three types of bodies, viz., the organic body of human and animal beings, the body of the beings of heaven and hell and sometimes of human beings and animals also in an extraordinary condition, and a subtle body which is developed by advanced mystics and the respiration. Tejo-vargaņā forms the fourth type, viz., the electric body. Speech and mind are formed by two special types of molecules called bhāșă-vargaņā and mano-vargaņā respectively. The inner subtle body, i.e., kārmaņa-śarīra, which is the root cause of all mental and physical activities, is constituted by kārmaņa-vargaņā.'
Pleasure, pain, life and death are also experienced through the agency of matter. Moreover, one piece of matter is capable of producing physical and chemical changes in another piece of matter. For instance, bronze is purified by ashes, water is clarified by an organic substance 'kataka,' and so on. It is needless to say that the whole super-structure of modern science is built upon physical and chemical changes in matter. 1. Gommața-sāra : Jiva-kānda, 606-8.
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