The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c4.s1.t2.38

c4.s1.t2.38

Now it is important to note that the flame of a burning log of wood (इन्धन) or of an oil-lamp is not pure Tejas, a pure mass of light-and-heat corpuscles. There is chemical union with Earth-particles (particles of the hard penta-Tanmátric substance) acted on by Energy; and then the Tejas-corpuscles, light-and-heat particles which are latent (absorbed) therein, come forth as flame (पार्थिवोपष्टम्शेन तदनुगतात् तेजसः अग्निभवति—विज्ञानभिक्षु, प्रवचनभाष्य, Sutra 110, Chap. V.). Then there is the light of the sun and the stars (दिव्यं सौरं चादित्यादि) which are flaming masses of molten viscous matters (जलप्रायेन्धनं तेजः दिव्यं तच्च सूर्यादि—तत्त्वत्रयभाष्य, अचित्प्रकरण) or of molten earthy matters (सूर्यादीनि सर्वाणि तेजांसि पार्थिवद्रव्यसङ्गेनैव अवस्थितानि—विज्ञानभिक्षु, प्रवचनभाष्य, Sutra 13, Chap. III.). There is also the lightning, which liberates a kind of Tejas latent in the aqueous particles and vapours, under the action of Energy, in the same way as an ordinary fire liberates the Tejas latent in the wood or other fuel. Next there are the stores of animal heat derived from the break-up of the nutritive material (औदर्य्य). Lastly there comes the peculiar form of the Tejas Energy (radiant Energy) stored up in the metalliferous ores and igneous rocks which have been formed in the subterranean heat. Here earthy matters are mixed up, but the radiant Energy predominates in the composition of the metals (तेजसाधिक्येन तेजसादितः सुवर्णादीनां—विज्ञानभिक्षु, प्रवचनभाष्य, Sutra 19, Chap. III.). Aniruddha, a late Sánkhya commentator, notes in reference to "igneous bodies" that the greater part of their mass is derived from the Earth Bhúta, though the Tejas particles determine the peculiar chemical combination which produces them; and this must also be his view of the composition of the metals (तत्र अपि (तैमसे शरीरे अपि) बहुतरपार्थिवावयवावष्टम्भकत्वं, अल्पत्वे चानुपभोगात् — अनिरुद्धवृत्ति, Sutra 112, Chap. V.).