Jain Vidyao Me Shodh Ke Kshitij Ek Sarvekshan Rasayan Aur Bhautik

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, focusing on the aspects of chemistry and physics:

This document, titled "Horizons of Research in Jain Vidya: A Survey of Chemistry and Physics" by Nandlal Jain, explores the scientific concepts within ancient Jain literature, particularly relating to chemistry and physics. The author, Nandlal Jain, along with other scholars like J.C. Sikdar, J.S. Javeri, Muni Nagaraj, and M.L. Bhatia, has contributed to understanding Jain cosmological and atomic theories in comparison to modern scientific perspectives.

Chemistry (Rasayan):

The study of chemistry in Jainism encompasses the nature and properties of both inanimate (jada) and animate (jiv) realms. Jain scriptures, such as Kund-kund, Umasvati, Bhagavati, and Anuyogadwar, contain significant discussions on chemical concepts. The primary focus is on dravya (substance) and padartha (matter), their quantification, classification, atomism (paramanuvaad), and the process of bonding (bandh-prakriya).

• Atomism (Paramanuvaad):

  • Jain atomism posits an indivisible, unchangeable, and imperceptible atom (paramanu) as the fundamental building block of matter.
  • Comparisons with Modern Atoms: Scholars debate the equivalence of Jain paramanu with modern subatomic particles like electrons, protons, or quarks.
    • Some, like Javeri and Jain, argue that Jain paramanu possess properties (like being hollow, having contraction-expansion) that are more fitting for modern atoms, suggesting that scientific fundamental particles can be equated with Jain paramanu. Muni Nagaraj seems to support this view.
    • Others, like Jain and Singh, contend that equating Jain paramanu with electrons or protons doesn't adequately explain all their described properties, such as their "five-sensed" or "seven-sensed" nature, and the infinity of their variations. They propose that the Jain concept of paramanu should be considered equivalent to the modern atom in its entirety, rather than individual subatomic particles.
  • Properties of Jain Atoms: Jain atoms are described as having five qualities (panch-gun): form (roop), taste (ras), smell (gandh), touch (sparsh), and a specific configuration or state (sansthan). However, the classification based on taste, smell, and color is found to be less significant due to the vast number of subtle variations. A classification based on internal structure is deemed more appropriate, reflecting advanced observational capabilities.
  • Bonding Process: Umasvati's three sutras on the bonding of atoms are analyzed. While their interpretation can be complex, when considered in the context of Jain paramanu being equivalent to practical (vyavahar) atoms or modern atoms, they can be understood to represent modern bonding mechanisms.

• Matter (Pudgal) and Aggregates (Skandha):

  • Jain atoms are considered pudgalic (material). The combination of atoms forms skandhas (aggregates).
  • Skandhas are generally equated with modern molecules. They are classified as gross (badar), visible to the eye, and subtle (sookshma), imperceptible.
  • Skandhas are formed through processes like decomposition, condensation, and a combination of both.
  • Jain classification of skandhas, based on their visibility and imperceptibility, is analyzed. While it highlights a keen observation, it is noted that the classification doesn't always align with the order of subtlety, with energies sometimes being placed after gases.
  • Four Great Elements (Chatur Mahabhuta): The text mentions that while the four great elements (earth, water, fire, and air) are considered distinct categories, the details provided for water, fire, and air are mainly about their different forms. The classification of skandhas is considered complex and potentially infinite, based on subtlety and grossness.

Physics (Bhautik):

Physics in Jainism involves the study of gross physical properties of matter, as well as natural and atomic energies like heat (ooshma) and light (prakash).

• Heat and Light:

  • Jain scriptures contain discussions on heat and light, some dating back to centuries before the common era.
  • While Jain texts acknowledge many forms of matter including light (prabha), it's curiously excluded from the list of pudgalic forms in some contexts like Tattvartha Sutra, though variations like shadow, darkness, and illumination are mentioned. It is suggested that heat (ooshma) and visible light (aatap) might have been considered together within the pudgalic form of aatap.
  • The concept of heat as a living principle or "Tejas-kayik jiva" (fiery embodied beings) is discussed. This is contrasted with the modern scientific view of energy. The idea that all matter is fundamentally alive is questioned for its implications on the Jain distinction between animate and inanimate.
  • Tejas-kayika (Fiery Embodied Beings): Different classifications of Tejas-kayika are presented from various texts, including electrical phenomena, lightning, meteor showers, and solar energy. It's noted that in ancient times, heat, light, and electricity were considered part of the same category (Tejas-kayika) and were believed to be corpuscular.
  • Duality of Energy: While modern science views heat and light as dual wave-particle phenomena, Jain texts often describe them in corpuscular terms. The modern understanding that these energies are natural and not due to an unseen force is also a point of divergence.
  • Properties of Light and Heat: The text mentions the ancient Jain understanding of properties like absorption, emission, and transformation of heat. However, phenomena like phase change and the mechanical work of heat, which are key to 19th-century scientific progress, are not explicitly detailed.

• Vision and Perception:

  • The process of seeing and how the eye perceives objects is discussed. While ancient Jain texts suggest the eye does not require light for perception, modern analysis points out that light is crucial for vision, akin to how a camera needs light to capture an image. The concept of the eye's "unreachability" is reinterpreted as indirect reachability.

• Darkness and Shadow:

  • Darkness is seen as a form of light with a different spectrum, and shadow is formed by light-blocking substances, reflecting the properties of reflective surfaces. Both are considered forms of pudgal.

• Color:

  • The ancient Jain classification of colors is considered too simplistic compared to modern understanding, which recognizes numerous colors within phenomena like rainbows and fundamental colors based on scientific discoveries.

• Electricity and Magnetism:

  • Details on electricity and magnetism in Jain scriptures are scarce. Electricity is mentioned in forms like lightning (ulkaa, ashani), which are seen as products of electricity rather than electricity itself.
  • The idea that electricity arises from the contact of opposing qualities (like sticky and rough) is highlighted as a subtle early insight.
  • Electricity is considered "Tejas-kayika" and thus alive, a notion not accepted by modern science due to the absence of life's characteristic processes.
  • Magnetism is primarily represented by the term "ayaskant" (lodestone). It's not considered an energy form itself but is used to explain the eye's ability to perceive distant objects. The attraction of iron by lodestone is explained by invisible lines of force in modern physics.
  • The limited information on electricity and magnetism suggests that their practical applications were not explored during the scriptural eras.

• Sound (Dhvani):

  • Jain scholars equate the concept of shabda (word/sound) with modern sound. Sound is considered a pudgalic energy but not "Tejas-kayika," hence considered inanimate.
  • Its origin is attributed to the vibrations and combinations of atomic matter. As pudgalic, it possesses the four qualities (touch, etc.) and has a "vajra" (thunderbolt) like form, propagating through air and potentially reaching the end of the universe.
  • Properties like intensity, softness, absorption, reflection, and interference are seen as corroborating its particulate nature.
  • Jainism views sound as eternal in substance but transient in its modifications, not adhering to the "eternalism of word" doctrine. They disagree with the abstractness of sound as an attribute of space, proposing space as a medium for sound transmission.
  • Classifications of sound in Jain texts are considered more comprehensive than modern scientific categories of voiced and unvoiced sounds, as they include aspects like different languages and natural sounds.
  • While ancient Jain theories on sound production, transmission, nature, and classification are considered factual, their interpretation differs from modern scientific explanations. Phenomena like soundproofing and the transformation of sound into other energies are not detailed in ancient texts.
  • Modern science views sound as a form of kinetic energy, a wave-like phenomenon. The Jain attribution of sound's particulate nature seems to stem from the pudgalic nature of its source and medium.

In conclusion, the document highlights that Jain scriptures contain a rich repository of scientific observations and theories pertaining to chemistry and physics. While there are areas of divergence and interpretation when compared to modern science, the text demonstrates the keen intellect and observational prowess of ancient Jain scholars, providing a foundation for ongoing research and comparative analysis. The author emphasizes the need for further in-depth study and compilation of these scientific facts within Jain literature.