Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 7

Author(s): Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 52

Jaina Theory of Skandhas or Molecules alcohol or vinegar is produced. These waters should not be used as common drinking waters.
The Pragyapana description about the sources of water are quite satisfactory. But they describe only solid and liquid water. The gaseous water does not find any mention.
The old lierature does not contain much about alcohols and medicinal waters. This forms the subject of other faculties. However, it has been pointed out that they should not be used for better health and spirits. Amritchandra has described alcohol as a source of many micro-organisms and it causes intoxication and idleness. 84 Butter is also produced by a similar process. One does not have much description about liquid oils. However, butter and oils form a class of liquidswhich are water insoluble. Many other liquids are water soluble. They are described to some extent in Ayurvedic texts.
It seems from the above that there were three types of liquids in use in olden times. The number of liquids is enormous today. Their properties vary. The earlier description of general properties show that quite a good number of properties of liquids are found in cannons.
The Vaisheshikas85 have sea, river, dew and ice water with many other varieties not mentioned. This is much less than what is described in Jain literature. The Buddhas have also a similar case as with the earths.
The Air of Gaseous Skandhas
As earlier, the air should represent the gaseous class of substances. They move obliquely. Formerly only colourless gases might be known which could not be visible to the eye but other senses could sense them by their blowing, flowing or smell. It seems, however, that no other gas except air was known in cannonical periods. That is why only various types of air are described in this category. The earths and water fare a little better in this regard.
Air has been classified differently in different periods as shown in Table 4. The Dashvaikalika classifies it in seven types-a commonsense view. But there is a peculiarity. Air from mouth is also included in it which is now taken as chemically different from normal air in the sky. Other air may be called non-violent airs or breezes. Pragyapana has a better classification of air consisting of seventeen varieties depending on direction, velocity, action or physical state. Shantisuri has eight varieties which include air from mouth and some other Pragyapana varieties. It has excluded all directional winds, Battaker and Amritchandra have