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A Critique
175
SECTION IV CLASSIFICATION
We have already said that according to Jains, material: objects are composed of clementary particles called paramānus. There are infinite types of matter and because they are capable of infinte mutations, the entire material universe is infinitely infinite. The fundamental reason for the infinite variety is the infinite multiplicity of the four innate qualites, colour etc., of matter and the difference in the number of paramānus.
According to the modern science also, there are infinite varieties of organic and inorganic compounds constituted by various combinations of about 100 different kinds of chemical elements. The atoms of the elements are different from one another because of the difference in the number of their constituting elementary particles viz, protons and neutrons in the nucleus of the atom and the electrons orbiting round.
The infinitc variety, however, can he grouped together from various aspects to form a few classes or divided into two or three types e.g.
(1) Inorganic (1) Solids
By Science
(ii) Organic (ii) Fluids (ii) Compounds (ii) Molecules
(i) Elements
(i) Atoms
(1) Viśrasā-parinata (1) Bādara (gross) (1) Paramānus
By Jains
(ii) Prayoga-parinata (ii) Sūkṣma (fine) (ii) Skandhu
By Science (ii) Liquids
(1) Solids
(iii) Gases
