Microcosmology Atom in Jain Philosophy and Modern Science

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

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Microcosmology: Atom
(jiva) and are, therefore, mostly encountered by us. There are five types of pudgala which are associated with jiva in the form of 'body'. In addition, there are three types which are associated with the jiva to carry out the vital functions of life, viz., breathing, speaking and thinking.
The word vargaṇā means a category and applies to the having the same definable attributes-in-chief.
group
(i) Audārika Vargaṇā
The word audărika can etymologically be explained in two ways (i) udāraṇa meaning gross, audārika thus means 'constituted by gross matter' and (ii) udara meaning womb, audārika thus means 'what is produced from the womb'. All organic bodies - human, animal and vegetable are audārika.
All physical compositions, large and small, which are/can be made perceivable by sense-organs belong to this category. All organic material which make the cells(blood, bone, skin, etc.) comprising the bodies of all living (including the entire vegetable kingdom) and dead organisms and inorganic atoms, molecules and compounds, in short, almost all things, encountered by us in everyday life belong to Audärika Vargaṇā.
(ii) Vaikriya Vargaṇā
The term vaikriya means a "protean" body, i.e. 'what is capable of transformation at will'. The term vaikriya implies transformations (of the body) which are associated with a divine being or deva who can transform the body from minute to huge, and vice versa. Celestial bodies of the inhabitants of heaven (devas) and hell (nārakis) are composed of the material of this group which is very much more subtle than the previous category.
(iii) Ähāraka Vargaṇā
The structure of this category is much more subtle than the preceding ones. It is used by ascetics who have acquired special powers to create a unique subtle body (called āhāraka śarīra). The learned sage uses this type of body for visiting omniscient persons at far off places, for the purpose of clarifying some doubts about