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Book II
1. The question acquires relevance from the fact that respiratory action of the one-organ beings is difficult to know or detect. Even among the more developed animal forms, say frog, for a long period after birth, their physical mechanism shows no sign of respiratory action. The doubt becomes most relevant in case of the least developed among the animal forms who are without movement.
2. It is stated in the Sūtra that matter taken through respiration may take two, three, four, even five colours. Black colour itself may have several hues from very light black till very deep black.
3. The one-organ beings reside in such dark, shady or covered nooks and corners that they are rarely free from obstruction. This handicap normally does not exist in the case of other living beings.
4. The question is relevant. Other beings inhale and exhale what is air. But when air-bodies do the same, do they inhale air-bodies ? And if one air-body inhales another airbody, and a second air-body inhales a third, and so on, then, who inhales and who is inhaled ? This leads to a fallacy.
The solution is that what the air-bodies inhale and exhale are not air-bodies but non-live air. Since the air inhaled and exhaled by the air-bodies is without life, the former stands in no need to inhale and exhale.
5. The question is about the number of times spent by each living being with one organ of sense in that form of existence over the up and down phases of the time-cycle. It is stated that the total number of times each living being with one organ of sense spends over the up and down phases of the time-cycle is just 'innumerable' for the earth-bodies, waterbodies, fire-bodies and air-bodies, but 'infinite for flora-bodies. As we have it :
