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that a particular species of monkey-class, i.e. 'ape' and 'human-being' are originated from a common forefather during the elongated process of evolution. This opinion created a huge fury in the class of religious-minded Christians. They took it as a serious blow on the traditional faith of the supremacy of human being, as it was the ultimate creation of god.
According to the traditional framework of Jainaism, there are four separate gatis (realms of
birth/destination).- Human birth is altogether different from tiryañcas (subhumans). The universe is beginning-less and endless. It was told by the omnipotents that there are four gatis in the universe and they will remain forever. Not any of the gati is created from the other. The species and sub-species are enumerated by the Sarvajñas and they are 84 lakhs. The increase and decrease in the number is not opted for.
Philosophical texts of Jainas declare that every living being has gone through the cycles of births and deaths within the range of these four gatis. The jīvas follow certain rules of transmigration but in this journey, a soul may not follow the linear sequence of ekendriya to pancendriya necessarily.
The universe is not created at a certain time-point. In certain Upanishadic texts we find a
sequence of the creation of pañcamahābhūtas." The Hindu or Paurāņika concept of avatāra, suggests a certain order of jalacara sthalacara-ubhayacara-manusya etc. Jaina philosophets do not entertain both of these thoughts, viz. the Upanishadika and Paurāņika. Apes and human beings are totally different. An ape belongs to tiryanca gati. How can we transform and merge one gati into the other?
In the texts like Uttarādhyayana', Prajñāpanā' and Gommatasāra, a certain sequence of ekendriya to pañcendriya is evidently seen, but it is there only for the sake of convenience in
enumeration.
In the process of bhavadhāraṇa the doctrine of Karman prevails. Every soul transmigrates
with the taijasa and kārmaņa bodies and takes birth according to his nāma-karman and gotrakarman. The principle of progression and regression has nothing to do in this process. The paurānika texts of Jainas say that Tirthamkara Rsabhadeva had the life-span of 84 lakh pūrvas. It is told that he taught 72 arts for mankind and certainly not to vānaras. It proves that manusya-gati is not a certain step of a ladder. This five-sensed species with mind, intellect and power of discrimination is existent from the beginning-less time.
According to the theory of evolution, a slow, steady development of the bio-species is seen which is based upon the principle of adaption, but the Jaina norms say that in the present avasarpiņi era, a continuous regression is going on. The physical, mental and spiritual abilities of
human beings are diminishing. The fully developed souls like 24 Tīrthamkaras take birth in the 3d
and 4" part (ārā) of each avasarpiņi and utsarpiņi. This fact is not consistent with the theory of evolution.
In nutshell, we can say that, when grossly seen, there is no scope for the theory of evolution in the Jaina framework of universe.
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