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Matter
power of motion or activity to the atoms. In the Svetāśvatāra Upanisad, we meet with the passage :-- सम्वाहुभ्यां धमति सम्पतन्तं द्यावाभूमी जनयन् देव एकः । श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् | ३|३| Udayana says that the expression 'Patatra' there refers to atoms which are so called because they are in motion. 'ते हि गतिशीलत्वात् पतत्त्रव्यपदेशाः पतन्तीति । '
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The Jainas in the same way distinguish Pudgala from the other non-psychical substances, such as space, time and the principles of motion and rest, which are passive and describe it as Sakriya or active. But in the matter of the combination of atoms, the Indian philosophers eliminate the element of chance as much as possible.
COMBINATION OF ATOMS
Indian schools of philosophy are as a rule anthropocentric, rather psycho-centric in their outlook. What are other than the conscious principle. i.e. the material series are conceived as so constituted as to be either the conscious principle's objects or means of enjoyment and experience. The Nyaya-Vaiśeșika holds that the creation of the world and for the matter of that, the combination of the selfexistent and eternal atoms is effected by the Isvara in order that the souls may have the objects and the means of their experience and enjoyment. The Creator again in his act of creation does not act in an arbitrary way; he shapes the worldly series out of the atoms in accordance with the Adṛṣṭa of the conscious selves i.e. in a manner that one might reap what he had sown. The Creator's power over the atoms, again, is not absolute. They are not only selfexistent uncreates but in the matter of their combination they have laws of their own. Their combination is possible only when there are what are called Sneha and Dravatva in them. The word, Sneha ordinarily means attachment or stickiness and the word Dravatva means ordinarily liquidness. In the case of the combination of the supersenuous atoms, Sneha and Dravatva cannot evidently be taken in their popular sense. May we not be justified in thinking that
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