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 536

514 : Scientific Contents in Prākṛta Canons
nents. Mūlācāra 54 suggests four parts of the stomach. Two parts should be filled with solid foods, one part to be filled with liquid or watery foods and one part should be kept empty for proper air or humoral transports. This means a fourth part of the diets should be liquids. This will maintain good health and ensure easy and normal physiological actions. Nemicandra Sūri55 divides the stomach in six parts. Ugraditya does not mention the amount of food but he also has some divisions. He suggests eating of oily and sweet foods in the first stage, salty and acidic materials in the second stage, juices of all types in the third stage and the meals should be finished with liquid foods. The normal meals should have pulses, rice, cooked materials, vinegar, butter, mild and warm/cold water. One must drink water in the end. This also suggests that one should eat about half of the apatite.
The canons indicate that high nutritious foods, halfcooked and green foods cause stomach-ache, rheumatism and dull intelligence56.
The above division of food constituents do not seem to fit in the current food science concepts. They also do not seem to include the concept of balanced diet. That is why most mendicants suffer from many deficiencies of nutrition and their body does not kindle from the fire of austerities and performances. Though theoretically this fact does not have any importance, still it has a high value on practical counts.
Eatables and Non-eatables
The Jaina scholars have discussed criteria about the eatability of different foods. Acārānga mentions four criteria of intake57.
(i) The materials must be raw.
(ii)The material must not be uncooked or half-cooked. (iii) They must be heated, treated or pasteurised and
dis-infected.
(iv) The materials should not have less eatable and more non-eatable parts. Various types of non-eatables are also