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Classification and Life Cycle of Living Beings : 425
Bhagavati29 and other canons give a number of details about this process for human beings specially which have uterine umbilical birth as shown in Table 5. Table 5 : Details of Uterine Birth Process. No. Item
Canonical
Current Science 1. Intercourse
Destroys many
embryo cells 2. Potency period of 48 mts. – 9.6 hrs. 24-42 hrs.
cells 3. Pregnancy through 1, 2, 3, to 2-9 x 105 Indefinite but Intercourse
mostly one 4. Progenity of human 1, 2, 3, to 200-900
beings 5. Pregnancy period 1 time unit to six
of water bodies months 6. Pregnancy period 48 mts, to 8 years
of animals 7. Pregnancy period 48 mts. to 12 years App. 270 days
of humans 8. Embodiment period 48 mts. to 24 years in womb
In contrast, such details are not available for a-sexuals. However, distinctive characters are given by Pujyapāda and Akalanka30 for a-sexual and sexual births as shown in Table 6. The a-sexual birth is spontaneous and macroscopic. Its species is short-lived and normally neuter in gender. Its causes and effects are visible. In contrast, the uterine birth may be either due to sperm and ovum in the womb or by assimilation of necessary foods etc, in it. The species are microscopic, invisible, long-living and gendered. Canonically, the sexually born species represent mainly the living ones with 5-senses and mind. However, Prajñāpanā mentions their a-sexual birth also. It is now known that for human beings, the embryos grow from 5 mm, in the first week to about 350 mm. in the end and
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