________________
The Jaina world of Non-living
sensation is given in canons. Moreover, these tastes do not refer to six food tastes with chemical structures for specific tastes. However, they do not have astringent taste and have only four tastes in place of the canonical five. They can measure the taste-intensity also through instruments. It is clear that the canonical tastes do not have any relationship with the nine literary sentiments (Rasas, tastes).
8. The general division of smell in good and bad categories seems to be not in tune with the days of olefactometers. The scientists have correlated smells with chemical structures too. They, now, have nine types of smells: (i) ethereal (ii) resinous (iii) balsamic (iv) ambrosial (v) garlic (vi) burning (vii) goat (viii) repulsive and (ix) nauseating. They have illustrated them also. There are special hair cells at the back of nose covering different areas in different living species. It is said that larger the area occupied by the olefactory cells, larger will be the smell sensitivity. The scientists also say that smell is 'taste at a distance'. They seem to feel that the two senses are co-existing. Hence, the Jaina principle of separate 2-sensed and 3-sensed living entities is under better clarification. As with smell, the taste is also experienced through taste buds in the different parts of the tongue.
9.
Five colours have been mentioned in the commentary-blue, yellow, white, black and red. This order of colours is different in Sarvarthasiddhi. It is black, blue, yellow, white and red. Bhaskaranandi also adopts this order. Jainas believe colour is the object of the noncontactile sense of sight. The scientists have defined colour as all sensations arising from the activity of retina and its attached nervous mechanism. Muni Mahendra has shown that the eye perceives the colour of the object through the medium of light. Thus, the perceived colour, c depends on three factors- (a) specification of light, L (b) sense-quality, S and (c) inherent colour of the object cor
P
C1
=3
f. (c. L. S)
The objective colour may have differing values if any of the factors are changed. Further, the colour of the same object may also be changed if its size (macro to micro) is changed.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
205
www.jainelibrary.org
