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The Jaina world of Non-living
better fineness than matter. The grossness and fineness etc. are the modes of mattergy because they are gross or fine and sense-perceptible like pots and fabrics. 17. The configuration or shape is also a mode of the mattergy. The regular shape has 5-11 varieties in different texts while the irregular shape may have innumerable varieties. However, the physique-making karma of configuration has six types only. It means the number of shapes have been increasing gradually. 18. The de-bonding, division or disintegration is defined as the splitting of bonded entities by physical or chemical means. The commentary gives its six varieties. All these processes represent only physical processes of division or debonding like bonding. There are virtually no chemical processes involved as in breaking by normal and electrical heating, electrical current passage where compounds are broken into their mattergic components. The debonding process is also important for karmic dissociation which has not been mentioned here as in the bonding discussion. 19. The next four modes of mattergy - darkness, shadow, hot light and cold light are finer forms than many other modes. The Mīmānsakas hold that darkness should be a category of independent reality as it has eye-perceptibility. But most systems do not agree to it. Some assume that it is only the state of absence of light. In contrast, the Jainas postulate that (i) the darkness is the cause of obstruction to visibility of things (ii) it is the anti-thesis of light (iii) it is not negation of light but is a specific combination with predominance of black colour and active entity like the blue colour.
It is said in scriptures that the brightness of day (light) and darkness of night is due to presence of auspicious and non-auspicious matter. Thus, it is a mattergic entity separate from light having corpuscular nature. It is bluish-black in colour in which things cannot be observed. It is beyond the range of visibility of human beings. But many animals like cats and owls can see in it. That indicates it as a from of
light.
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