________________
106
THE JAINA PHILOSOPHY
ing to the modern science, comprises of all sensible existence ie existence of the same kind that perceived by the senses, whether actually so perceived or not Thus the Jain views broadly agree with the modern science in so far as the general definition of the physical existence is concerned C) CHARACTERISTIC PROPERTJES
The objective and simultaneous existence of the qualities of colour, taste, smell and touch in pudgala has been amply emphasised in the previous section Five elementarycolours, five elementary tastes, good and bad smell and four elementary touches-hot, cold, dry and unctuous-makes a total of 16 varieties of characteristic innate qualities of all classes of matter 12 (I) COLOUR
First of all, we should clarify what is the meaning, of the statement "colour etc, are innate qualities of matter' Now what is colour? It is some structural peculiarity of a material object which interacts with light and makes the object visible and perceivable by the sensory equipment of vision
Modern science explains the phenomenon or colour on the basis of the wave theory of light According to it the normal white light from the sun contains the whole visible spectrum When while light falls on any material object, it absorbs some of
12 This division of colour into 5 primary types agrees perfectly ww.h the scicnusic vicus ror instance Colorimetry Committee ol the Optical Society of Amcnca rcported in 1922 as follows
"Colour may be cxemplified by the enumeration of charactenstic instances as red yellos bluc black and while'
Omission of sally from the list of pnmary tastes is not properly understandable the division of smell appears to be very arbitrary
