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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
If the oviparous, viviparous and un-umbilicals have uterine birth, who are the living beings born in special-bed birth ? The following aphorism deals with this point:
Deva-nārakāņām upa-pādah
2.34 The celestial and infernal beings have special-bed birth. 10. The human or subhuman living beings could be designated as celestials etc. due to the realisation of the physique-making karma of celestial etc. destinity after the loss of earlier life-span karma and under the karmically transmigratory motion onwards. Thus, the celestical etc. type of birth should concur with their birth type at the time of karmic realisation. A. This is not correct. The celestial etc. birth is designated only when there is formation of celestial etc. body. However, during the transmigratory motion, the soul is non-intaker and cannot form the celestial etc. body and, hence, cannot take birth as celestial etc. Thus, the period of destinital realisation cannot represent the birth type. Hence, it is justified to say that the celestials and infernals have special-bed birth. (The celestial beings are born in box-beds and infernal beings are born in bladders). Supplementary Notes 1. The commentary deals with the following points:
The special-bed birth is there for the hellish and celestial beings. These beings cannot be born through uterine birth as there is special type of mattergic composition required for their bodies which is not possible in this birth. 2. This aphorism has also a different version in the Svetāmbara sütras where the word 'deva-nărakānām' of D-version has been reversed. Besides, the word 'upa-pāda' has been changed into 'upa-pāta'. Siddhasena Gani has justified this placement of hellish beings first on the basis of high penury among them. However, there is no difference in its meanings in both the versions.
This aphorism also represents a two way rule- (i) the celestials and the hellish beings have special bed birth only and (ii) the special-bed birth is observed only in case of celestials and hellish beings.
What is the birth type of the other living beings which are neither uterine nor special bed born? The following aphorism intends to deal with this point: Sesẵnăm Sammũrchanam
2.35 The rest of the living beings have agglutinational birth.
This aphorism is intended for definite rule in both the cases like the earlier aphorism 2.34. It means that special bed birth is there only for the celestials and infernals. The rest have only agglutinational birth. 2 Q. How does one learn that the preceding aphorisms refer to the rule for birth-type only and not for the living beings taking birth ?
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