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 453

Classification and Life Cycle of Living Beings : 431
family breeding, (vi) adulthood, (vii) old age, (viii) contracting stage, (ix) de-sexed stage, (x) sorrowful stage. Alternatively, ten growth states are also mentioned age-wise as below :
0-10 Age of sacraments & celebrations 10-20 Age of enjoyments 31-40 Age of earning experience 41-50 Age of weakening eye-sight 51-60 Age of weakening strength 61-70 Age of de-sexing 71-80 Age of weakening knowledge 81-90 Age of bending body 91-100 Age of departure/death
These stages suggest that Jaina seers could observe things from various angles. Normally, a 100 years age was assumed for men in the world. It is clear that some of the agewise observations have to be redrafted in this century as many new points have come to be known. Sex and Other Characters of the Progenies
For a-sexuals, the canons presume a neutral sex. However, for sexuals, they postulate that the sex of the progeny depends on the quantity of male semen, the relative excess of which procreates male species. Empirically, periodicity may also be an additional factor. Despite the fact that there was no idea about the constituents of semen in canonical days, this has a crude guess about the existence of chromosomes in semen.
It can also be surmised that the progeny should have characteristics of male and female partners as canons point that some parts ( bones, hairs, etc.) are contributed by males and some (head and other parts) by females. Many volitional, intellectual and other characteristics of the progeny are said to be due to kārmic factors also which may be assumed to be transferred in the form of luminous and kārmic bodies through semen52. These bodies should contain what we call