Scientific Secrets of Jainism

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

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Scientific Secrets of Jainism
There are some who say that Jain scripturists classify air as subtle-gross and they classify light as gross-subtle. But modern scientists have proved that light particles are very much subtler than air particles and the contention of Jain philosophy is, therefore, not proper and the kinds of a pudgala- skandha (material aggregates) should be re-examined.
All is well and proper with the four kinds of the pudgala- skandha namely, 1. extremely gross, 2. gross, 3. subtle and 4. subtle-subtle. We need to think about only gross-subtle and subtle-gross. A statement of Jain scriptures always refers only to a particular point of view. From another point of view, it may be wrong. But it is not wrong from all points of view.
Air is classified as subtle-gross and light is classified as gross-subtle. Here the statement of the scripturists is only relative. After a considerable pondering, one comes to the conclusion that air and light are properly classified. By light, some mean light- particles/photons and by air, some mean molecules of oxygen, nitrogen etc. But that is not the fact. Air means airbodies. We can take air molecules as air bodies but this is not true of light. The word light should be taken to mean light-bodies because they are made of aggregates of material particles i.e. Audārika Vargaṇā, Thinking thus, we conclude that fire itself can be in grouping of Audārika Vargaṇā, the particles/photons emerging from it, can be different from it. They can be included in grouping of Taijas Vargaṇā. It should be noted here that there is vast difference between a light-body (fire) and photon particles. In both of them, the light particles/photons are very much subtler than light- bodies.
If from practical point of view, we contend that this classification of material aggregates refers to light-bodies and air- bodies, this classification sounds to be true. With our eyes, we can clearly see fire, and if we touch it, we feel its heat. When air is in motion, it can be perceived through touch only. It is, therefore, proper that fire (not light, but the flame etc. that produce light) is classified as gross-subtle and air is classified as subtle-gross.