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Reals in the Jaina Metaphysics
organ of hearing comes in contact with the peculiar modification of matter, connected with sound, we have the auditory sensation of sound.
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VISUAL SENSATION
. As regards our visual sensation, the modern theory is that when our eyes are fixed upon an object, vibrations are caused in the Ether which is the subtle substance, pervading the space between the eyes and the object,—which vibrations affect the retina. It appears thus that in the matter of our visual perception the sense-organ of sight is not wholly unconnected with its object; rather, the organ may be said to come in contact with the object of vision through the intervening subtle susbstance, Ether.
MODERN ETHER AND TEJAS
According to the thinkers of the Nyaya and other orthodox schools of Indian philosophy, the sense-organ of sight also is Prāpyakāri i.e. it generates visual sensation by coming in contact with the object. They seem to have made some approach to the modern theory by thinking that this contact is effected through a medium or intermediary substance which they called Tejas. Although according to them, this Tejas was the constituent substance of the visual organ also and in the matter of visual perception, it was conceived to emanate and go out from the visual organ towards the object, the intermediary character of the Tejas in the matter of visual perception was nevertheless frankly admitted. Accordingly, it would be interesting to find out how far this Indian Tejas resembles the Ether of modern science.
VARIOUS KINDS OF TEJAS
First of all, it should be noted that it would be wrong to identify Tejas with what we ordinarily call Fire. Tejas as Sārīra Tejas or bodily element is supposed to constitute the body of the beings in the Sun. It is Tejas, again, which as already observed, is the constituent substance of the senseorgan of vision. The third form of Tejas is the Visaya Tejas
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