The Enigma Of The Universe : Possibility of Physical Order of Existence devoid of Mass

(1) Possibility of Physical Order of Existence devoid of Mass

In the modern physics mass is considered to be the funda­mental characteristic of matter, whereas in Jain metaphysics, mass (i.e., laghutva, gurutva) is not considered to be the fundamental property of pudgala.^[1] If we accept that massless matter can exist, then there are two new possibilities:

1. The velocity of light can be surpassed, that is, superluminal speeds are possible.
2. It would be possible to conceive the creation of new matter in the sense that it is actually not new matter, but conversion of massless matter into matter possessed of mass.

Now let us discuss these two possibilities at length: