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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
erty of mattergic accumulation, diminution and decay due to death. Thus, there is no any distinctive point about the transformable body. A. The questioner seems not to have understood the intended meaning of the word. The meaning of destruction is not intended here. The intended meaning here is 'diversification'. It has two forms- (i) self-body involving (Ekatva) and (ii) non-self body involving (Prthaktva). The self-body-involving diversification is the transformations of one's own body in the form of lion, swan and eagle etc. The non-self-body-involving diversification does not involve one's own body. It is the formation of house or palace, halls, pavillion at a distant place. Both these types of diversification are undergone by the mansional, paripatetic, astral and sixteen-heavenly empyrean beings. The empyreans residing beyond heavens and upto the Sarvārtha-siddhi abodes have only the auspicious types of self-body-involving diversification. The infernals upto the sixth-hell have diversifications in the form of tri-dent, wheel, sword, hammer, axe and other weapons. These belong to the types of self-bodyinvolving category and not of other type. The infernals of the seventh hell have only the first type of diversification in the form of monstruous worms, serpents and kunthu insects of the size of large cows etc. They do not have diversification in the form of various weapons for killing others. They also do not have the second category of diversification. The animals like peacocks etc. have only the first category of diversification. They can transform themselves from old to young and the like. The human beings have both types of diversifications due to special penances and learnings.
Does the aphorism 2.47 indicate that it is only the transformable body which is due to super-attainment or there are other bodies also caused due to this factor ? The following aphorism intends to describe about this point:
Taijasam-api
2.48 The luminous body is also caused by the super-attainments. 1. Q. The ejectable body follows the transformable body in aphorism 2.36. It should be described after it. Why the luminous body is being described without order? A. This is the topic related with super-attainment. This aphorism 2.48 is also connected with 'caused by super-attainment from the preceding aphorism 2.47. It is in this connection that the luminous body has been described. Supplemenray Notes (2.45 -48) 1. The commentary 2.45-48 deals with the following points: (a) These aphorisms deal with the relationship between the births and the bodies. The gross body originates from uterine or a-sexual or agglutinational birth. The transformation body originates through (i) special-bed birth and (ii) austeritic super-attainments. The special-bed birth is due to birth only and it is definite while the attainments are not so.
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