Bhagwan Mahaweer : the Supernatural Chemist

 Bhagwan Mahaweer : The Supernatural Chemist

‘Pudgala’ is a significant and definitional word in Jain Darshan. Bhagwan Mahaweer used His ingenuity in coining this word for matter. It is defined as “पूरदि गलदित्ति पोग्गले।” It means, that which undergoes changes by association and dissociation (is pudgala). In terms of modern science, it represents both fusion and fission processes. It also stands for matter as well as energy. In 1917 Albert Einstein presented his famous equation E = mc2, i.e., matter and energy are inter-convertible. This established the deep meaning of the word pudgala used by Bhagwan Mahaweer. The ultimate indivisible particle, Paramanu, of Jain Darshan is an energy point. That proclaims that it is a particle as well as a wave. Distribution of pudgal in the universe is in the form of “अणवाः स्कंधाश्च।” (verse 5/25 of sacred scripture Tattwatha Sutra authored by Acharya Umaswati). It spells out that pudgal is present in the form of paramanus and their aggregates.

One of the important functions of pudgala is “बंध: (पुद्गलः उपकारः भवंति)।” (verse 5/24, Tattwartha Sutra) i. e., bonding or bondage. The karmic bond is a resultant of interaction between a soul and a pudgal radical, a charged particle which gets attracted (in-flow of karmic matter, आस्रव) towards a soul the way iron-filings are pulled by a magnet. This is called a karmic bond, कर्म-बंध. This bondage is owing to the oily-dry (स्निग्ध-रुक्ष) properties of a paramanu. These properties are respectively positive and negative charge of electricity.

In Dhawla the learned Acharya writes “… … स्निग्ध-रुक्ष गुणो-निमित्त विद्युत्।” (verse 5/33) meaning thereby that the lightening is caused by the oily-dry properties of pudgal particles. Science describes it as discharge of negative electric charge from the clouds to the induced positive charge on the earth. This forms the basis for the chemical reactions that incessantly happen in the universe.

Acharya Umaswati states “(स्कंधा:) भेद-संघातेभ्यः उत्पद्यन्ते।” (verse 5/26) i. e., aggregats are formed by association (संघ) and dissociation (भेद) processes (as also the simultaneous association-dissociation process). In Panchastikaya Saar another learned author writes, “खंधो परमाणुसंग संघादो।” (verse 86), which means molecules possess a gross form and undergo processes of association and dissociation (to form aggregates and paramanus). This forms the basis for the three main types of chemical reactions in Modern Science as well as Jain Darshan.

1 Association/Combination (संघ) : In the laboratory it has been established that nitrogen gas can be converted into oxygen gas by bombarding a stream of alpha particles. The nitrogen atom combines with alpha particle to become oxygen.

2 Dissociation/Separation (भेद) : The radiation is a natural phenomenon by which uranuim radiates gamma-rays and forms radium, which further emits gamma-rays to become lead.

3 Association-Dissociation (संघ-भेद) : Lithium converts into two alpha-particles on bombardment of protons and then breaks into two separate alpha-particles.