Book Title: Jainism Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment
Author(s): Narendra Bhandari
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad
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Jainism : The Eternal and Universal path for Enlightenment
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certain laws. Science recognizes matter (energy and matter are inter-convertible), three types of forces (gravitation, electroweak (which includes electricity, magnetism and weak nuclear forces) and strong nuclear forces) and fields, space-time as the elements constituting the physical universe. It is possible that all the forces, both attractive and repulsive, may be manifestation of a single force, but they have not yet been integrated in one as electricity, magnetism and weak nuclear forces, earlier considered to be independent, were integrated in one electroweak force. Thus the physical universe, as we understand it now, is made of four components: space, matter (and energy), force fields and time. In comparison, Jainism states that the material universe is composed of five components: space, matter, Dharmâstiklya, Adharmâstik?ya and time. Thus there is agreement between science and Jainism on the three constituents of the Universe i.e. matter, space and time. Physics has already shown that there is nothing like medium of motion (earlier postulated as all pervading aether i.e. considered to be equivalent of Dharmastikiya by some scholars) by the experiments conducted by Michelson and Morley and we do not have the faintest idea of what Adharmastik'ya (medium of rest) could be. This may be a subject of further investigation.
Science has made tremendous progress in the last four hundred years and the behavior of matter is well understood. Physics has divided matter in two parts, the macro and the micro, where respectively classical physics and quantum physics are applicable. To appreciate this natural division into macro and micro, it may be desirable to briefly go through the historical developments leading to quantum physics and describe the important concepts and basic principles of physics.
Science view of macro and the micro world The universe is made up of matter which range in size from the smallest invisible