Doctrine of Jainas

SR No.: 011097
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Walther Shubring, Wolfgang Beurlen
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas
Publication Year: 1978
Total Pages: 309
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 225

COSMOGRAPHY
209
variety. The more highly developed individual plants are divided twelve-fold acc. to their habit into trees, bushes, shrubs, creepers, grasses, etc. Trees are subdivided into two groups, the mono-kernels (eg'atthiya) and the multi-kernels (bahubīyaya). On grasses (tana) it has been observed that they bear seeds at the top, at the roots, at the stalk, and at other places (Dasav. 4, introd, Thân 186b, 322b, 354b). The five classes of rukkha, ajjhāroha, tana, osahr, and hariya (Sūy. II, 3) joined by a sixth bearing no name of its own, look older than the duodecimal classification. Both classifications are now crossed by one classifying according to the number of souls within a plant With its quality to have more than one soul the plant stands alone in the realm of living beings. The seats of these souls are the roots, the bulb (kanda), the stem, the bark, the branches (sālā), the twigs (pavāla), the leaves, blossoms, fruits and seeds (mülā mūla-jiva-phudā etc. Viy 300a) Acc to Sūy. this refers to the five classes mentioned above, acc. to Pannav. to the trees, acc. to Than 520b to the tana. The taking in of matter and its transubstantiation starts (Viy. 300a) with the souls of the roots which are near to the souls of the earth (padibaddha) from whom they take what substance they need. From there it is taken by these of the bulb, from here by those of the stem, a. s. o. As to this theory concerning the growth of plants (the text of which suggests the wrong conclusion that the resp. former were decaying in favour of the resp succeeding ones) it may be pointed out that this growth decreases in proportion to the sequence of the starting of the rainy season, the main rainy season 2 — autumn- winter-spring-, and summer The opposing vital force which manifests itself in the general bloom is explained acc to § 94- 8 Now, the number of the souls in trees is either x, į oro (Viy 364a, Thān. 122b), the quantity of pertaining to the roots, etc, whereas the first pertains to the blossoms (Pannav. 3la) and one to each leaf o souls
1. Discussed by KOHL, Ztschr f Ethn f8 (1953), p 91-95 lif, see § 146
. 3. gımhāsu nam buhave usina- j j yap ya vasiassarkaryattäe vakkamantı
2
pāusa-vāsā-rutiesu
This bipartition
reoccurs in
the monastic
ctc.