Jainism

Author(s): M R Gelra
Publisher: Createspace

Page 61

The following chart gives out the net regulations of combinations.
Same Kind
Opposing Kind
Units of Intensity
1+1
NO
1+2
1+3 1+n 2+2 2+3 2+4
2+n
(x) Massless Matter
There are many aspects of existence which Jain philosophers have described and explained ahead of the researches of modern science. One of them is the concept of 'massless matter'. Ancient Greek and Vedic philosophers believed that all matter in the universe was made up of four basic elements earth, air, fire and water. Aristotle argued that two forces acted these elements on gravity and levity. The tendency of the earth and water to sink is due to gravity and the elements air and fire rise due to levity.
Jain philosophers were the first one who believed that all the material existence (pudgala) could be divided into two categories:
• One carrying the mass - gross matter. • Other carrying no mass-massless - fine matter.
The concept of massless matter has been elaborately discussed under the name of sukshma pudgala. Sukshma pudgala has four varieties of tactility (touches) out of eight forms of tactility. We have earlier described the characteristic modes of pudgala. Under the head of touch characteristic, eight types were described. They are:
Cold Smooth Rough
Hot
Soft
Hard
Light
Heavy
The sukshma pudgala have only four touches - i.e. cold, hot and smooth, rough and therefore, such pudgala do not have the property of light and heavy i.e. they have no mass.