Scientific Secrets of Jainism

Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

Page 270

Light : Animate Or Inanimate?
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Giving an answer to this, Vācanācārya Śri Prabodhacandra Gaņi says that as a result of operation of a hot touch and of Lāhitavarnanāmakarma, lighted fire-bodies spread over the surrounding region. fire-bodies have no Prabhā (irregular spread, reflection etc. of light) but these fire bodies being extremely subtle, they themselves are known as irregular spread, reflection etc. of light.
This last answer given by Vācanācārya Śri Prabodhacandra Gani is incomplete and contrast to the reference of Jivābhigamasūtra, a Jain canonical scripture, stated in Sri Haribhadrasūriji's commentary of the Daśavaikālikasūtra, a Jain canonical scripture. Śri Haribhadrasūriji Mahārāja clearly says that fire-bodies are grosser even than water-bodies. Wind-bodies are subtler even than water-bodies. Light particles are very much subtler than wind-bodies. How can they be regarded as fire-bodies? This is an important question to ponder on.
Another classification of pudgala (matter) is into Varganās (groupings). There are chiefly eight varieties of Varganās : 1. Audārika, 2. Vaikriya, 3. Ahāraka , 4.taijas, 5.Bhāsā , 6. śvāsācchvāsa , 7. Mano and 8. Kārmaņa. The body of all living beings except the celestial (Dēva s ) and hellish ones, is made of pudgala aggregates i.e. paramāņu-units of the Audārika Vargaņā. The body of celestial beings (i.e. devas) is made of pudgala aggregates (paramāņu-units) of the Vaikriya Vargaņā.
Monks, well-versed in the fourteen Pūrvas scriptures and endowed with Āhāraka labdhi, make use of pudgala aggregates (paramāņu-units) of the Ahāraka Vargaņā in making the Āhāraka body. Every living being of the world, has the subtle bodies - taijas and Kārmaņa. Bhāşā Varganā produces sound. Svāsõcchvāsa Varganā is used in taking breath. Mano Varganā is used in making the mind (sensorium) and thinking.
According to the Daśavaikālikasūtra, gross-subtle, gross and gross-gross material aggregates are assimilated in Audārika Vargaņā. If we think that light contains life, it should be included in the gross-gross type of material aggregates. But science has proved that light particles are very subtle and therefore, it seems proper to include them in the taijas Vargaņā. If along with other Vargaņās, we regard the taijas Vargaņā as a subtle type of grouping, everything is all right. It should be noted here that infinite paramānus (atoms) aggregates of all the eight Vargaņās are gradually subtler transformations and