________________
Matter and Energy
According to Jainism, matter (Pudgala) has the following four attributes :
Touch (Sparsa), taste (Rasa), smell (Gandha) and color (Varna). Touch is of two kinds : Smooth (Snigdha) and rough (Rookșa). The Sanskrit words Sparsa, Snigdha and Rookşa have the common meanings touch, smooth and rough, respectively. However, in Sarvärthasiddhi, Acärya Pūjyapāda has written
Snigdharooksatvaguộanimittävidyut. This literally means that lishtning is the result of the Snigdha and Rookşa attributes. On this basis, Prof. G. R. Jain has identified the Snigdha and Rookşa kinds of Sparsa with the positive and negative kinds of elecırical charges. Thus Sparsa refers to electrical charge. Further, color (Varna) can be related to the characteri tic radiation emitted and absorbed by the nuclei, atoms and molecules of the various kind. Possibly, the words Rasa and Gandha also do not have their common literal meanings in this context. This may also apply to the words Asti, Nāsti and Astināsti of the doctrine of seven aspects. Inicidentally, the names given by the modern scientists to the attributes of some elementary particles are charm, flavor and color. In this context, these words also have meanings at variance with their common meanings.
One remarkable aspect of the Jain concept of matter (Pudgala) is that light, heat, sound, images, etc., have been enumerated as the transformations of matter (Pudgala).? The equivalence of mass and energy which is a consequence of the theory of relativity is in complete agreement with this concept of Jain theory of matter. Further, the Jainas say that the binding of the various particles occurs due to the Snigdha and Ruksa attributes. This is also in agreement with modern Science.
Conclusion
It is evident from the above discussion that the broad premises of Jainism and modern scienee agree to a great extent. Further, there is a lot of room for scientific study as far as the Jain concepts of universe, matter and souls are concerned. An objective study of the Jain principles may bring out some detailed agreement between Jain concepts and modern science.
References 1. The Sanskrit word SAMYAK means rational and proper. 2. PRAMANANAYAIRAHIGAMAH-TATTVĀRTHASUTRA by UMA
SWAMI, Chapter 1, SUTRA 6. It means that the knowledge is attained by means of experimentation ( experimental proof ) and logical thinking. This includes (a) change of Karma of one subclass to Karma of another subclass (Sankramana and Udvelana). (b) decrease in intensity and duration (Apakarşaņa) and (c) increase in intensity and duration (Utkar
3.
- 540 -
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
