The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c4.s1.54

c4.s1.54

The first stadium, Bhútádi, is absolutely homogeneous and absolutely inert, being devoid of all physical and chemical characters (**रूपादिभिरसंयुतं**) except quantum or mass (**परिच्छिन्नत्व**, **परिमाण**); and this admits neither of addition nor of subtraction, can neither be created nor destroyed. The second stadium, Tanmátra, represents subtile matter, vibratory, impingent, radiant, etc., instinct with potential energy. These “potentials” arise from the unequal aggregation of the original Mass-units in different proportions and collocations with an unequal distribution of the original Energy (Rajas). (तन्मात्ररूपादेः किं कारणम् इति चेत् स्वकारणद्रव्याणां न्यूनाधिकभावेन अन्योऽन्यं प्रति संयोगविशेष एव—सजातीयोपष्टम्भादिना वृद्धिह्रासादिकं च युक्तं ।) The Tanmátras possess something more than quantum of Mass and Energy; they possess physical characters, some of them penetrability (अवकाशदान), others powers of impact or pressure, others radiant heat, others again capability of viscous and cohesive attraction. In intimate relation to these physical characters they also possess the potentials of the energies represented by sound, touch, colour, taste, and smell; but being subtile matter, they are devoid of the peculiar forms (विशेष) which these “potentials” assume in particles of gross matter like the atoms and their aggregates. In other words, the potentials lodged in subtile matter must undergo peculiar transformations by new groupings or collocations to be classed among sensory stimuli—gross matter being supposed to be matter endued with properties of the class of sensory stimuli, though in the minutest particles thereof the sensory stimuli may be infra-sensible (अतीन्द्रिय but not अनुद्भूत). (तस्मिंस्तस्मिंस्तु तन्मात्राः ते च अविशेषिणः । ते च पदार्थाः शान्तघोरमूढाख्यैः स्थूलगतशब्दादिविशेषैः शून्या एकरूपत्वात् । तथाच शान्तादिविशेषशून्यशब्दादिमत्त्वमेव भूतानां शब्दादितन्मात्रत्वम् ।)