A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c34.355.1

v2.c34.355.1

Parispanda sometimes stands for motion molar as well as molecular, but more often for the subtile motion of atoms or molecules. The radical meaning of the term is whirling or rotary motion, a circling motion, but it may also include simple harmonic motion (*e. g.* vibration). All action, operation, work (क्रिया, व्यापार) is ultimately traced to this form of subtile motion lodged in the atoms or in the matter-stuff. The Vedānta, for example, speaks of a cosmic vibratory motion (सर्वलोक-परिस्पन्दनम्—Saṅkara). — A'kāsa, in the Vedānta, as we have seen, is the first stadium in the evolution of Matter, which gives off Vāyu, which gives off Tejas, and so on; but A'kāsa (Ether) itself passes through two stages before the emanation of the Sūkshmabhūta Vāyu :—(1) the motionless ubiquitous primordial matter-stuff (answering to the Sāṅkhya Bhútádi) called Puránam kham (पुराणं खं); and (2) a subtile integration, the pure unquintuplicated Sūkshmabhūta called Váyuram Kham ( वायुरं खं ) ( answering to the Sánkhya Tanmátra stage). It is this subtile Ákása, in its Tanmátric integration, *i. e.* in the derivative form, which is subject to an incessant Parispanda. The gaseous stage of matter (the Vedántic Váyu) is indeed matter in a state of Parispandic motion (वायोः परिस्पन्दात्मकत्वात् — Sankara).