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Matter
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mātrā's is the Ahankāra which evolves from the Mahat, which again arises from the most ultimate, the primary Real, the Pradhāna. The Pradhāna has been described as the Sāmyāvasthā or the state of equilibrium of the ultimate material Guņa's. This equilibrium or homogeneity of absolutely indistinguishable material forces becomes unstable and tends towards heterogeneity, which is the Mahat in its material aspect. This heterogeneity of contending forces again, is not absolute but in its turn it tends towards a unification or concentration which is the Ahankāra, considered from the materialistic standpoint. Ahankāra or the unitary principle in which the germs of multiplicity are held together, gives rise to the five Tanmātrās or subtlest bases of grossness, which in their turn develop the Bhūtas or the subtle material elements. This shows how the ultimate material principle, as conceived by the Indian thinkers is infinitely subtler than the elements, recognised by the present day scientists. JAINA THEORY OF PUDGALA, ONE ULTIMATE MATTER
We have seen already how according to the Jaina's, touch, taste, smell and colour are the properties of matter. Although they say that colour is the distinctive attribute of the Dhātu, Tejas, smell of Pșthvī, taste of Ap and touch of Vāyu, it will be seen that the Jaina's deny the qualitative difference among the atoms which are the “Dhātu-catuṣkakaranam" धातुचतुष्ककारणम् or the causal bases of the four elements. It seems to me that Sarkara's criticism of the theory 3Ter a gejutt: i.e. each of the four kinds of elemental atoms has all the four attributes, really refers to the doctrine of the Jaina's. It follows that the primary matter, according to the Jaina's is but of one kind which consists in a potentiality to develop the qualities in the gross material bodies of our experience'.
1 The author of the Prameya-kamalamārtanda distinctly says:
न खलु रूपं पृथिव्युदकज्वलनवृत्त्येव वायोरपि तद्वत्तासंभवात् । तथाहि-रूपादिमान वायुः पौदलिकत्वात् स्पर्शवत्त्वाद्वा पृथिव्यादिवत् ।
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