History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c39.s3.6

c39.s3.6

The *tanmatras*, then, are infra-atomic particles charged with specific potential energies,—first, the potential of the sound stimulus is lodged in one class of particles, *tanmatras* which possess the physical energy of vibration and serve to form the radicle of the ether atom (*akasa paramanu*); then the potential of the tactile stimulus is lodged in another class of *tanmatras*, particles which possess the physical energy of impact or mechanical pressure in addition to that of vibration, and serve to form the radicle of the gas atom (*vayu paramanu*); next, the potential of the colour stimulus is lodged in a third class of *tanmatras*, particles which are charged with the energy of radiant heat and light in addition to those of impact and vibration, and serve to form the nucleus of the light-and-heat corpuscle (*teja paramanu*), then the potential of the taste stimulus is lodged in other *tanmatras*, particles which possess the energy of viscous attraction, in addition to those of heat, impact and vibration, and which afterwards develop into the atom of water (*ap paramanu*); and lastly, the potential of the smell stimulus is lodged in a further class of *tanmatras*, particles which are charged with the energy of cohesive attraction, heat, impact and vibration, and which serve to form the radicle of the earth-atom (*kshiti paramanu*).