Sumanmuni Padmamaharshi Granth

SR No.: 012027
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bhadreshkumar Jain
Publisher: Sumanmuni Diksha Swarna Jayanti Samaroh Samiti Chennai
Publication Year: 1999
Total Pages: 690
Language: Hindi, English
Classification: Smruti_Granth & Articles
File Size: 24 MB

Page 652

Glory of Jain Culture
7. Life Cycle of Living Beings : (a) Birth.
Every living being has a life cycle of birth, growth and death. The birth is defined as the first appearance through conception (invisible in general) or delivery of a new living embodiment in the world. The conceiving factors are not given in T.S. though they are given in Sthananga (Page 576-578, 628-29). The T.S. 2.31 mentions three types of birth through which new living species of different types are born (1) Non-uterine or spontaneous (2) Uterine (incubatory, placental, non-placental) and (3) Special bed. We do not have any concern here with the third type as it relates to the upper and lower world and we are dealing with middle world only. The remaining two
Table 7: Different types of Birth for Living Beings.
S.No.
1.
2.
Birth
Uterine birth (Direct sexual)
28
Spontaneous or asexual birth
T.S.
5-sensed (men, animals)
types of birth are important here. Table -7 indicates the types of birth which different types of living being may have as per T.S. and biological science. T.S. mentions asexual birth for 1-4 sensed ones and sexual birth for the 5-sensed ones. In contrast, the biologist have three types of birth mechanisms; (1) Vegetative (2) a-sexual and (3) Sexual. Many plants have vegetative reproduction but most have indirect sexual reproduction. Similarly the 2-4 sensed beings also do have sexual reproduction. It may be indirect as there is no fixed place for birth and most of the times, no internal receptors for sperms. Thus, external sexual birth takes place in many cases. Of course, there is uterine birth for 5-sensed beings in T.S. and biology.
The Digambara Commentators of T.S. have defined the term 'Sammurchima' as production of a living species from critical collection of surrounding material bodies when spontaneous generation takes place. This definition suggests that the Jains could accept the Carvaka or Aristotlean theory of materialistic origin of primary or higher life which goes against their concept of living begets living. To alleviate this, the term
1-4 sensed, some 5-sensed beings
Biological Science
5-sensed
(men, animals) 1-4 sensed have also indirect sexual birth.
Very few categories of primary living beings.
should be redefined. The Sthanangvrtti (P.108) has defined it in terms of non-uterine birth which may also involve vegetative reproduction. It is because, the prefix 'a' could have two meanings: (1) Complete negation of sex as in vegetative reproduction or (2) Indirect (not-perceptible to eye) sex as in many cases of 1-4 sensed beings as is pointed out in Kalpsutra in the form of oviparous uterine births of honey-bees,
Studies on Biology in Tattvartha Sutra (Formulae on Reals)