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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
That is why, the deficient-sensed or even the one-sensed beings have only dormant mental functionings. The senses themselves may perform these functions but they have no capacity to think. 6. The Jainas postulate mind as comparatively non-material and fine atomic in nature. Some scholars have suggested it to be composed of finer-thanatom 'mindon' particles. The current parapsychologists have a majority opinion that it exists in brain in the form of a hologram having a ferrocious capacity of movement and actions. It may be called as the functional basis of the conscious brain. Formerly, soul, mind and consciousness were asssumed to be virtually synonymous by the scientists. However, now-a-days, 'soul is renamed as 'spirit' for differentiation with implication of substantiality. 7. Canonically, the physical mind is said to be located somewhere in the heart. This contention requires reconsideration.
The worldy beings have two specific varieties based on the perfection and non-perfection of senses due to the self-earned karmas and have different specific status through their karmic body system. However, they could be further subclassified in two varieties as shown in the following aphrism 2.12 :
A.
Sansărinah Trasa-sthāvarāh
2.12 There are two kinds of worldly beings - (i) mobiles(trasas) and (ii) non-mobiles (sthāvarās) 1. Q. What is the definition of mobiles and non-mobiles ? A The mobiles are the specifically behaving living beings due to the realisation of soul-maturing physique-making karma of mobiles. 2. Q. The root 'trasa' has a meaning of agitation or movement out of fear. Thus, the mobiles should be defined as those who move (out of fear).
This derivative meaning is not correct. This will lead to the possibility of non-mobileness for the living beings in the (i) womb, (ii) under incubation, (iii) under sleep and (iv) fainting, They do not move despite the causes of external fear. The derivative meaning is not taken as primary here as in the case of derivative of Cow (gau) from the root 'gam' (to move). 3. The non-mobiles are those beings who are originated due to the realisation of soul-maturing physique-making karma of non-mobiles 4.Q. The word 'sthāvara' originates from the sanskrta root 'sthā' (not to move). Thus, derivatively, it should mean the non-mobiles are those which are stationary. A. This is not correct here. This definition will lead to mean mobileness of air, fire and water. They also move from place to place. This type of derivation is conventional and is applicable in few cases only. 5. Q. The air, water and fire are said to be mobiles (in some canons). A. This is not corrent. This opinion seems to be born out of ignorance about the meaning of canons. The pro-canonical text 'Şat-prarūpaņā' (Existential
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