Book Title: Scientific Foundations Of Jainism
Author(s): K V Mardia
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd

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Page 55
________________ CYCLES OF BIRTH AND DEATH 33 should not be confused with consciousness-the knowledge and perception elements. 4.5 JAIN PARTICLE PHYSICS Matter has one of five colours, one of five flavours, one of two odours and one each of the four pairs of touches. These are given below. Five types of colour: Black, red, yellow, white, blue. Five types of flavour: Sweet, bitter, pungent, acidic, astringent. Two types of odour: Good smell, bad smell. Eight types of touch in four pairs: Hot/ cold, wet/dry, hard/ soft, light/heavy. The ultimate particle (U.P.) has the following properties: One of the five colours, One of the five flavours, One of the two types of odour, One of the four touches in pairs of either wet ness/ dryness or hot/cold. Thus, it leads to 200 different “primary U.P.'s”. It is shown that wetness and dryness possess varying intensities which are integers. These combine together to produce composite bodies. The fundamental condition is that the U.P.'s in combination must possess more than one unit intensity of dryness or wetness. These cannot combine if the intensity is only one unit. Also, if x and y are the intensities of wetness of two U.P.'s, then to combine them x-y] < 2, x=2,...; y=2,.... The same applies to two U.P.'s with different dryness. There are no restrictions on the composition of two U.P.'s, with one U.P. of x units of dryness and another of y units of wetness, except that x1 and y>1. (This principle is very similar to Paul's exclusion principle in Particle Physics). There are over 200 different primary U.P.'s, but the strength/intensity of each quality varies from one unit to infinite units. They can be distinguished simply as two basic types: effect U.P.'s or cause U.P.'s. Thus the whole universe is formed. Note that hard/ soft and light/heavy have been excluded from the U.P.'s qualities because these are the qualities of the dense U.P.'s or their combinations. (The karmons are some of the finest particles formed from U.P.'s and therefore might be combinations of only two U.P.'s.) 4.6 PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF CYCLES It is quite clear that karmic matter plays a central role in shaping one's next incarnation along the life-axis (see Chapter 2). Hence, an

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