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 507

Zoological Contents in Prākṛta Canons : 485
Secondly, it has been proved that taste and smell senses are co-occuring, hence these beings should be at least 3-sensed. These beings had a period when biologists were doubtful about their place. It is very late that they could find place in animal kingdom.
Zoology does not classify human beings as the Jaina canons do. Table 8 suggests that they are classified in two ways according to their birth types a-sexual and sexual. Canons exemplify a-sexuals born in ten places like pus, dead body, filthy places and the like. They are very small in size. Their maximum life time is 48 minutes. This is subject to verification. It is now known that they may be 2-3 sensed canonically rather than five-sensed. Though the term innumerable is not clearly definable, the biologists estimate their sizes to be varying between 10-10-5cm. Of course, zoologically they may be five sensed ones of invertebrate class and not of human family. The postulate about their being human seems to be cause-effect formalisation.
The sexual human beings have been classified on the basis of their residences and qualities as shown in Table 8 about which discussions have already been done. It is shown that Aryans live in 25% regions or countries while non-aryans live in 56 regions. Accordingly, a good part of India seems to be non-aryan. This description seems to be more important for the geography of those days. This residence-wise classification does not seem to contain any zoological basis as no basic difference between the men of different places could be traced. But this classification also suggests about its external and visual character. And it seems to be getting much behind zoological times.
Other Properties about the Mobiles
As pointed out earlier, table1 contains many additional descriptions about the mobiles found in canons in the form of investigation points. At the inception of their worldly life, they