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The Jaina world of Non-living
(b) Some facts based on observation of Akalanka's period : (i) In contrast to the Vaišeșikas, the Jainas postulate that these four attributes of touch etc. are co-existing ones. The air has all these attributes as against the Vaišeşikas who agree about its attribute of touch only. (ii) It has been pointed out that colour is observable only in gross entities. (c) The following classes of touch, taste etc. have been mentioned : (i) touch : 8 (ii) taste : 5 (iii) colour : 5 (iv) smell : 2. These are the primary classes. They may have upto infinite subclasses. 2. This aphorism defines mattergy in terms of the above four coexisting properties. However, the aphorism 5.5 also indicates that the mattergies are perceptible through forms. The term 'form' has also been defined there to mean touch, taste, smell, colour and even shape along with their coexisting nature. In addition, it has also been pointed out that the mattergy and its attributes could be taken as different and nondifferent from modal and substantive point of view.
The aphorism 5.23 also describes the same and, thus, there seems to be repetitional flaw. However, it is not so as the aphorism 5.5 was meant to specify a comparatively specific characteristics of mattergy. But this aphorism has been composed to serve three objects : (a) It defines mattergy in general in terms of its four (or five ?) concommittant properties. (b) It refutes the Vaiseșika concept of specific attributes associated with specific mattergic entities like earth etc. This refutation has been done by a specific general inference like this:
"The earth, water, air and fire have all the four attributes as they contain one of them like the earthen pot etc.". (c) The term 'Pudgala' (mattergy) is also meant to refute Buddhist terminology to mean 'living unit' by this term. Here, it means only a nonliving entity. 3. The Jainas do not postulate independent category of the realities of earth, water, air and fire as they take them as modes of mattergic reality only through the following inference-:
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