Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/268

 25 2 The KaPila and the Piitaiijala Sii1!lkhya [CII. of the peculiar forms which these" potentials" assume in particles of gross matter like the atoms and their aggregates. In other words,the potentials lodged in subtle matter must undergo peculiar transformations by new groupings or collocations before they can act as sensory stimuli as gross matter, though in the minutest particles thereof the sensory stimuli may be infra-sensible (atin- driya but not anudbhiUa)l. Of the tanmatras the sabda or tiktisa tanmatra (the sound- potential) is first generated directly from the bhlitadi. Next comes the sparsa or the vayu tmzmatra (touch-potential) which is generated by the union of a unit of tamas from bhlitadi with the akasa tanmatra. The ntpa ta1l11Uitra (colour-potential) is generated similarly by the accretion of a unit of tamas from bhlitadi; the rasa tanmatra (taste-potential) or the ap tamJlatra is also similarly formed. This ap tanmatra again by its union with a unit of tamas from bhlitadi produces the galldlza tanmatra (smell-potential) or the k#ti ta1111latra 2. The difference of tanmatras or infra-atomic units and atoms (para1Jltilu) is this, that the tanmatras have only the potential power of affecting our senses, which must be grouped and regrouped in a particular form to constitute a new existence as atoms before they can have the power of affecting our senses. It is important in this connection to point out that the classifica- tion of all gross objects as k!?iti, ap, tejas, marut and vyoman is not based upon a chemical analysis, but from the points of view of the five senses through which knowledge of them could be brought home to us. Each of our senses can only apprehend a particular quality and thus five different ultimate substances are said to exist corresponding to the five qualities which may be grasped by the five senses. In accordance with the existence of these five elements, the existence of the five potential states or tanmatras was also conceived to exist as the ground of the five gross forms. The five classes of atoms are generated from the tanmatras as follows: the sound-potential, with accretion of rudiment matter from blultadi generates the akasa-atom. The touch-potentials com- bine with the vibratory particles (sound-potential) to generate the 1 Dr Seal's Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus. 2 There were various ways in which the genesis of tanmatras and atoms were ex- plained in literatures other than Siil}lkhya; for some account of it see Dr Seal's Positive Scimces of the A ncient Ilindus.