Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons

SR No.: 001670
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1996
Total Pages: 608
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Science, & Religion
File Size: 9 MB

Page 445

Classification and Life Cycle of Living Beings : 423
taneous generation has been the old way and (b) uterine birth is another way. The first involves the primary life from assumed non-living. The second involves living from the living one. These mechanisms may be equated to the a-sexual and sexual births in current terms.
The Sānkhyas believe in 18-elemental fine body to be born out of non-living Prakrti which gets associated with the semen and blood of the parents and creates eight types of heavenly, five types of animals ( deer, quadrupeds, birds, serpents and immobiles like plants ) and one type of human lot26, their conscious element being different whose mere presence and sight is supposed to be the power for their activities. This suggests that fine material body gets associated with the fine bodies only sexually (even in plants). This system, thus, regards uterine birth preceded by spontaneous generation of fine body. The Vaiseșikas27 also agree to the two types of births of heavenly and non-heavenly bodies in terms of ayonija (a-sexual or special type ) and yonija ( uterine ) births. They have a-sexual birth for heavenly bodies, seers, rsis and small crea-tures like moths, mosquitoes, gadflies, etc. due to merited or demerited atomic combinations. They have sexual births for mammals, birds and serpent etc. The sexual birth has two varieties : (i) umbilical (jarāyuja ) and (ii) incubatory (andaja ). The offshoots have sexual differentiation. The Vedāntins have two types of creatures : (a) mobiles and (b) non-mobiles. However, they have not specified their birth types in their earlier texts.
In contrast, the Jainas have three types of birth mechanism :(a) A-sexual or Sammūrchima, (b) Uterine or Garbhaja and (c) Special bed or Upa-pāda or Ayonija type28. The uterine birth has also been sub-classified in three forms - two of the Vaiseșikas and the third as un-umbilical one. They have exemplified all the three varieties as given in Table 4, showing birth types in three major Indian systems. This suggests the Jaina system to be advanced over others on two counts :