________________
angeral reflection.” Even knowledge is meaningful in the presence of mercy only.4 Knowledge without mercy is useless and can be termed as false knowledge. In respect to Mercy or saving of life some advance the argument that while saving one life some other forms of life are compromised and, therefore, saving of life is flawed with violence. However, to believe thus is contrary to the teachings of the canonical works. In our canonical literature the word employed for violence is prāņātipāta or depriving a vitality, which indicates that the meaning of violence is limited to deprivation of one or more of ten kinds of vitality (rather than depriving a creature of its life), four to ten of which are present in one-sensed to rational five-sensed living beings respectively. The one-sensed creatures are endowed with four types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital power of the sense of touch, 2. Vital power of the body, 3. Vital power of respiration, and 4. Vital power of longevity. The two-sensed creatures are endowed with six types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital power of the sense of touch, 2. Vital power of the sense of taste, 3. Vital power of speech, 4. Vital power of the body, 5. Vital power of respiration, and 6. Vital power of longevity. The threesensed creatures are endowed with seven types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital power of the sense of touch, 2. Vital power of the sense of taste, 3. Vital power of the sense of smell, 4. Vital power of speech, 5. Vital power of the body, 6. Vital power of respiration, and 7. Vital power of longevity. The four-sensed creatures are endowed with eight types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital power of the sense of touch, 2. Vital power of the sense of taste, 3. Vital power of the sense of smell, 4. Vital power of the sense of sight, 5. Vital power of speech, 6. Vital power of the body, 7. Vital power of respiration, and 8. Vital power of longevity. The irrational five-sensed creatures are endowed with nine types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital power of the sense of touch, 2. Vital power of the sense of taste, 3. Vital power of the sense of smell, 4. Vital power of the sense of sight, 5. Vital power of the sense of hearing, 6. Vital power of speech, 7. Vital power of the body, 8. Vital power of respiration, and 9. Vital power of longevity, while rational five-sensed creatures are endowed with all ten types of vitalities namely, 1. Vital
Foreword
LIII
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org