Microcosmology Atom in Jain Philosophy and Modern Science

Author(s): Jethalal S Zaveri, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

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Microcosmology: Atom
(ii) Combination of matter with living beings (jiva).
The last one is again of two types: (i) karma-bandhaBondage or Combination of karma-vargaṇā with jīva, and (ii) No-karma-bandha-Combination of other groups1 of pudgala with jiva in vital functions,
(b) Disintegration or break-up of physical bodies is also of two kinds: (i) Natural and (ii) Made by animate organisms.
Natural disintegration is the spontaneous decay of the physical substances e.g. radioactive elements due to their own inherent structural properties. This kind also includes disintegration by natural forces such as wind, rain, flow of water,
etc.
Disintegration produced by animate organisms is of many varieties depending upon the methods of division and separation. Some typical methods of break-up are:
(i) division by sawing or splitting (utkara).
(ii) division by breaking into smaller pieces (khanda).
(iii) division by grinding (cūrṇa).
(iv) layer-by-layer separation (pratara).
(v) division by fissures (anutaṭikā).
4. MINUTENESS (MICROSCOPICNESS) AND LARGENESS (MACROSCOPICNESS)
The physical universe is composed of innumerable varieties of physical objects, from a microscopic sub-atomic particle to a macroscopic giant star. Both these opposite qualities are, therefore, special attributes of the physical substance (pudgala). Largeness and minuteness are, however, mostly relative. An object is large because there is another one which is smaller than it. Largeness of the former is strictly relative to the minuteness of the latter. An ultimate atom (paramāņu) is the smallest indivisible form of pudgala, and there is nothing more minute than it. And hence minuteness (microscopicness) is of two kinds :
1. See also section iv of this chapter.