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smell is invariably related with touch. Thus, it should be taken as the property of water itself. This could be proved by the following syllogistic form of inference,' the water has smell, because it has taste like the mango fruit".
The Jaina world of Non-living
Similarly, the fire has also modes of touch etc. and sound etc. as it is also the effect of earth like the pitcher. It is seen that the fire is the effect of earthy woods etc. which have touch etc. Moreover, the fire is the modification of aggregatal mattergy. It is observed that the intaken earthy food material is metabolised into bile, humus and phelgm. Here, bile means digestive fire. Thus, the fire has touch etc. as it is the effect of earthy substances.
Similarly, air has also modifications of touch etc. and sounds etc. because it has touch like pitcher etc. Moreover, the air is also a modification of earthy substances. It is observed that intaken earthy food is metabolised into humus (air), bile and phelgm. Here, humus is air - a form of vitality. Thus, the air should also be taken as having touch etc.
The above discussion refutes the Nyaya and Vaiseṣika view that earth, water, fire and air have four, three, two and one qualities of touch etc. respectively as each of the qualities is invariably related with the other qualities.
Supplementary Notes
1.
The commentary deals with the following points :
(a)
The etymological meaning of the specific terms 'aņu' (ultimate atom) and 'skandha' (aggregate) have been given in terms of qualitative and quantitative transformations and acquiring grossness due to atomic -associations.
(b) There are infinite types of mattergies which could be basically classified in two categories - each consisting of infinite varieties calling for plural number in each.
(c) The ultimate atom is a physical reality. It is an effect as well as the cause for making aggregates. It can not be absolutistically cause only as TSV indicates because it is produced by the dissociation of aggregates also.
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