________________ Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals fact, karmically, the life-span expressed in terms of time or years has no meaning. It is the total drippings of the life-span karma particles on the basis of which duration of life-span karma is determined in practice. This dripping takes place slowly in the case of non-reducible death so that the living being lives longer. In contrast, it takes place faster in case of untimely death so that the living being lives shorter. The total life-span karma particles are dripped in each case. Thus, there is no death in any case until all the bonded life-span karma particles are dripped off slowly or fastly. 10. The Jainas define death on the basis of karma theory in terms of fruition of current life-span karma. However, the scientists would define it in physiological terms where there is cessation of normal body functions like metabolism, respiration, pulse beat, heart beat and brain functions etc. due to loss of internal electrical/thermal energy of the living systems. The physicians have observed that complete cessation of these functions occur in three stages as below: (i) Clinical death : cessation of physiological functions. (ii) Brain death : It is observed that even after clinical death, the brain cells, eyes, kidney and other parts of the body function for various times due to the reserve energy which is exhausted in few hours only. That is why, they could be taken out of the clinically dead and preserved or transplanted. This cessation of brain function is called brain death. (iii) Goth : cessation of micro-growth in some parts of the body after clinical death. Almost all causes of death indicated in scriptures are accepted by the scientists. However, factors like the loss of internal, electrical or thermal energy and cessation or loss of blood flow due to cellular degradation with age do not find mention there. The scientists agree with the concept of natural and accidental death. 11. Many scholars doubt about the issue of untimely death. But it cannot be negated either scripturally or logically. This aphorism implies it. The other canons mention the causes of untimely death. Moreover, the non-voluntary shedding of karmas is another way of prematural or faster shedding. Secondly, the current developments in food, health, medical and surgical sciences, studies on ageing process and theories like relativity indicate that the lifespan could be increased (to avoid untimely death and proceed for natural death) and decreased to a large extent. This also supports the untimely death concept. It is quite a different issue who do or do not have it. It all depends on the nature of earlier bonded karma and the density of current factors. 189 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
