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This I believe takes off the sin they might have committed in preparing food and drink. According to our Sastras, we have five kinds of Jivas,-a Jiva of one Indriya, of two, of three, of four and of five. The Jivas are born as such in course of their transmigration, according to the merit and demerit of their previous Karma. A Jiva of two Indriyas is far more meritorious with respect to its previous Karma than a Jiva of one Indriya. Consequently causing the destruction of a Jiva of two indriyas is far more sinful than to kill a Jiva of one indriya. Similarly, the destruction of a Jiva of three indriyas is much more sinful than that of a Jiva of two indriyas, since the Karma of the latter is far inferior to the Karma of the former. In this way, we see that, as the merit increases indefinitely with the Karma (previous ) of a Jiva of five indriyas, the destruction of one Jiva of five indriyas ( such as goats, cows etc ) is equivalent to the killing or destruction of an infinite number of Jivas of one indriya ( viz vegetable life ). This I assert to make it known that, we the Jainas believe that, there is a certain amount of sin, even in using the vegetable things, the several parts from other Jivas they may contain, since they are the Jivas of one indriya. It is with the object of avoiding
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