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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
4. The non-mobiles are one-sensed while the mobiles are 2-5 sensed. The Svetāmbara canons mention air and fire (water also) to be mobiles. It seems this is a pre-karmic theory concept. Secondly, they are only derivatively mobiles and not in the sense of tendency of acting towards desirables and non-acting towards undesirables. Thirdly, the mobiles are classified in two forms- (i) fullfledged or atttainmental (labdhi trasa) and (ii) motional (karana trasa). The first category is based on the realisation of sub-species of mobiles of the physiquemaking karma. They are the true mobiles having 2-5 senses. The motional mobiles do not have realisation of mobile species of karma. They have realisation of non-mobile species of karma. Hence, they are, in fact, one-sensed. They are figurativiely called mobiles. 5. This two-fold classification of the worldly living beings is nearly akin to the two-fold biological classification in terms of plants (non-mobiles) and animals (mobiles). Of course, Jainas being hotozoistic, their plant kingdom will also include earth, water, fire and air. The animal kingdom, in contrast, will exclude human beings as they have special position among the living beings
The earlier aphorism 2.12 has described the general classes with specific names of the worldly beings. But it has not defined the mobiles and non-mobiles. They should now be defined. However, there is not much to be
bed about the one-sensed non-mobiles. Hence, the following aphorism 2.13 describes them first even violating the order of 2.12:
Pệthivyaptejo-vāyu-vanaspatayah Sthāvarāh
2.13 There are five types of non-mobiles - (i) earth (ii) water (iii) fire (iv) air and (v) plants. 1. The namal designations of earth, water etc. are based on the realisation of specific physique-making karmas of the non-mobile class. They are called embodied earth etc. due to internal and external karmic causes. Though their names are derived from different roots like 'prathana' (extension) etc. for earth etc., but conventionally, they are so named irrespective of their derivations.
Each of the five earth etc. has been mentioned to be of four kinds in scriptures- (i) earth (ii) dead embodied earth (iii) living embodied earth and (iv) would-be living earth. The earth is defined as an entity devoid of consciousness, undergoing natural transformations and has properties of hardness etc. It has no realisation of physique-making karma of earth because of its non-living nature. However, it is called earth as it has the properties of extension etc. Alternatively, it represents the earth in general and it is applied to the other three forms.
The dead embodied earth is an entity which has been abandoned by the living unit present in it. It is just like the dead body of man devoid of consciousness. The living embodied earth is the living (soul) entity which is embodied by earth and subjugated with its conjunction. The would-be living
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