Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals

SR No.: 001656
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1999
Total Pages: 210
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Biology
File Size: 13 MB

Page 159

Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
A.
The word 'remaining' (seṣa) in the aphorism 2.35 is indicator of the fact that the earlier rule referred to the types of birth. When one says that (i) the uterine birth is there only in case of viviparous, oviparous and un-umbilicals and (ii) the special-bed birth is there only in case of celestials and infernals, one fixes the two types of birth. However, this does not fix up the living beings which are umbilical etc. They may have the agglutinational type of birth also. This is not desirable. Hence, the current aphorism points out that the agglutinational birth is there only for the remaining classes of living beings and not for those which have already been detailed.
Had this rule referred to the living beings taking birth, it will maintain that (i) the viviparous, oviparous and un-umbilicals have only uterine birth and (ii) the celestials and infernals have only the special-bed birth. Thus, the two birth-types are now fixed. Hence, it automatically proves that the rest have the third type of birth. This will make the word 'remaining' unnecessary in the aphorism 2.35.
Moreover, the whole aphorism will be unnecessary. The earlier aphorisms indidcate the rules to work both ways. Thus, when the uterine and special-bed birth are conclusively fixed, it is natural to infer the agglutinational birth for the rest of the living beings. However, the both way rule applies to both- the birth types and the birth-takers. But here the birth types are intended. Hence, the aphorism 2.35 has a utility to indicate that only the birth types are described here and not the birth-takers.
Supplementary Notes
1.
The commentary deals with the following points:
(a)
The a-sexual or agglutinational birth occurs in the remaining types of the living beings who are not included in the aphorism 2.33-34 under uterine and special-bed births.
(b)
2.
The usefulness of this aphorism has been indicated.
The living beings coming under the category of agglutinational birth
are
(I)
all types of 1-sensed beings
(ii)
all types of 2-4 sensed (deficient-sensed) beings
(iii) some 5-sensed humans beings born in 14 places (excretions, faeces. dead bodies, sewers and other dirty places etc.) pointed out in Prajnapanã. These are generally temporally non-completioned. These places are not mentioned in general Digambara texts and
(iv) many five-sensed subhuman beings or animals. They may be temporally or structurally non-completioned.
3.
As has been pointed out earlier, the concept of a-sexual birth in (i) and (ii) categories above is a gross visual obervation of historical interest now. There are very few living beings including even plants which could be called asexual today. Most of the living beings are observed to be sexually born directly
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