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The Jaina world of Non-living
4. The scriptures do not mention such cases. However, it is clear that the chemical bonding may result in (i) similar (ii) dissimilar or (iii) complex nature of the newly formed units. Sometimes the nature of combining entities are also transformed during the process in the new unit. For example, there may be valency change as in the case of chlorine in hydrochloric acid, chlorine dioxide and chlorine heptoxide (1,4 and 7 valency). There may be change in the nature of combining entities, just as in the case of chlorine. It has a negative charge in hydrochloric acid and a positive charge in chlorine dioxide and heptoxide. Similarly, hydrogen also becomes negative in sodium and potassium hydrides in contrast to hydrochloric acid. There may be changes in nature due to ionisation process where all types of transformed nature may be observed as in the above examples. 5. These examples support the Svetāmbara version of this aphorism partly and indirectly 6. The above physical and chemical processes indicate the basic fact that bonding of any type involves the transformation in the nature of newly formed entities. The chemists have extended their area from physical ones to the chemical ones also. 7. The most important part of the commentary of 5.37 is a statement regarding the nature of karmic bondage with the living units. This bond is quite different from the non-living-non-living-bond. It is a bond between living and non-living entities. It is said that the worldly soul is embodied and material. The mental, vocal, and physical activities import specific nature to the embodied living enabling it to bind with the infinite-atomic karma particles spread over the surroundings having specific but opposite nature with high intensity of positive or negative charges. The duration of karmic bond with the living indicates its strength. The bond may be so strong as to last for a maximum of 70x10" Sagara units of time if it is a deluding karma-bond. The different karmas have different durational strength varying between a minimum of 48 minutes to many Sagaras
The living -non-living bond of karmas is a special type of bond not clearly explainable in physical or chemical terms. However, it occurs
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