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associated with the moon. It is cold and has an even flow. Pingala is said to be associated with the sun and is hot. The suşumnā current is neither hot nor cold.
Ida and Pingalā are the opposites of each other. The former is cold and the latter is hot, and yet they are mutually complementary. If they were not so, life will come to a standstill. They are governed by the principle of the unity of opposites. They are a model of friendliness and we may learn a lesson from them in the give-and-take of life.
The exercise of samavrttiśvása is also an exercise in friendliness. Ida's coolness and Pingalā's heat are necessary for us. Both are useful. If we felt heat while inhaling through the right nostril, we should stop it and begin inhaling through the left. By doing so we will begin to feel cold. If the left nostril is inhaling and we want to avoid the feeling of cold, we should begin inhaling through the right nostril. This will make us feel heat in the body. The svara śāstra (the science of breathing) discusses this process at length. Inhaling through one nostril produces calm whereas inhaling through another produces excitement. Both have their corresponding effects. One is useful in peaceful activities while the other is useful in exciting work. Both function in their own way without interfering with each other.
According to the Jain a doctrine pudgala (matter) produces four sense-contacts or sensations, cold, hot, rough and smooth. These are the four basic sensations. Every material object produces these basic sensations. It is because of these effects that it is useful for us. Cold and heat on the one hand and rough and smooth on the other are pairs opposing cach other. Still they are found together in every single structure. We find all things in the world in mutually opposite pairs. There can be no creation without pairing. Pairing may be viewed as the unity of opposites. Electricity is also a unity of opposites, positive and negative. When the opposite currents unite, they produce light. These opposites are not like enemies which destroy each other. They behave like friends and cooperate with each other. The entire worldprocess is useful to us because of its internal contradictions,
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