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Matter
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COMBINATION OF ATOMS ACCORDING TO THE JAINA's
In short, the Jaina position is that atomic combination is real; it is due to the capacity inherent in the atom; combination does not imply that an atom has parts; the result of combination of atoms is that although the same underlying substance continues and persists in the atoms and their compound, the latter presents characteristics which are in some respects different from those of its constituents.
NATURE OF ATOMS
The above brings us to a consideration of the last point in the Greek theory of atoms. We have seen that the school of Democritus and Leucippus reduced all qualitative differences in the material things to quantitative ones in the atoms. The position of the present day physicists continues to be essentially the same. It is maintained that the qualities and characteristics that are met with in the gross material things of our experience are explained by the ultimate atoms and their positions and functionings. Colour, for instance, is no attribute inherent in matter. Its sensation is due to wave-lengths and modes, manners and intensities of retinal excitations, caused by them. Physical sciences of today, have demonstrated how our sensations are caused by matters in motion or different collections of them. This, however, does not mean that bare abstract matter bereft of all capacities and attributes is alone sufficient to explain the varied sensations. The sensation of taste, for instance, is different from the sensation of colour. What is this difference due to? The position of natural realism which is taken by the physicists precludes them from making any reference to the idealistic standpoint according to which the cognising subject has a hand in the shaping of the sensation. We are thus to seek the explanation either in the external stimuli causing the excitation of the sense-organs or the sense
स्वभावार्थोऽवयवार्थो वा स्यात्। यदि स्वभावार्थों न कश्चिद्दोषस्तेषां विभिन्न दिग्विभागव्यवस्थितानेकाणुभिः सम्वान्यथानुपपत्त्या तावद्वा स्वभाव भेदो'पपत्तेः। अवयवार्थस्नु तत्रासौ नोपपद्यते तेषां मभेद्यत्वेनावयवासंभवात्।'
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