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ATOM IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY 87
subsisting in each individual constituent paramānu or a coniposite body determine the
resultant colour of the body b Tastewhat has been said about colour and its
intensity in the preceding paragraph holds true about tasie also There are five primary tastes viz sweet sour pungent astringent and bit
ter ,c Smell-there are two primary smells--pleasant
and unpleasant For the rest every word of para (a) holds true by substituting 'smell' instead of
'colour d Touch-a free paramūnu possesses anyone of
the following four conibinations of touches 1) hot and dry 11) hot and unctuous i) cold and dry
v) cold and unctuous Heaviness or lightness and softness or hardness are not the innate qualities of parannanu These four subsist only in composite bodies with gross structure The intensities of dryness etc possessed by a paramūnu could be one unit upto infinite units 6 Quantitatively--paramānu is indestructible The
total number of paramánus in the universe never changes Not a single parananu is destroyed-not a single new one is created Under all circumstances and for all times the total
remains constant 7 Metaphysically-paramānu is real It is subject to
the principle of permanence-through-modes and therefore has an objective real existence It is neither a figment of mind nor is merely a
postulation 8 Geometrically-paramānu (by itself) is shapeless
But it is not aroop It is a true point and therefore has neither length nor breadth nor
