Defiition of Living in Jain Cannons An Evaluation

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Z_Umravkunvarji_Diksha_Swarna_Jayanti_Smruti_Granth_012035.pdf

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Definition of the Living in Jaipa Cannons : An Evaluation / 361
part is made up of innumerablespace points.29 These represent its approximate size or extension. The space points of the living belong to two categories-fixed and movable.80 It is said that there are eight central space points in a single living unit wbich are fixed. Others are movable during expansion and contraction by extirpation or interpenetration.
It has also been pointed that the living one always resides in a body in the world. Its size or extension depends on the size of the body. However, it has been added in the end that the extension applies only to the worldly living called Jiva due to action particles associated with it. The pure living unit exists, might be devoid of extension, and therefore, a non-existent reality as Jain 31 has pointed out.
The real space point nature and extension of the living extends to the idea about the property of weight. Because of its extreme fineness, it must have negligible weight empirically said to be weightless. Jain 39 has indicated the inverse relationship between extension and density which is its necessary accompaniment, pointing out indirectly the low density and hence finest weight of the basic living reality.
Pranas or Vital Airs and Paryaptis or Completions
The broad and extensive definition of the living as above, has been concocted in a single term-the first one of Table-1 by the Jaina seers. It is called Prani as it is characterised by Pranas translated as life principles, 3 3 life force,84 vitality, 38 and vital airs.36 The pranas are the most important properties of the living. There are four types of Pranas-pranas of strength, pranas of senses, pranas of respiration and age. They have been further elaborated to have ten types-three strengths of physique, speech and mind; five sense pranas of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing and the last two of respiration and age as individual units. These represent the physical expressions or activities of the living one. The lowest level of the living ones have at least four pranas-strength of physique, sense of touch, respiration and age. This number increases up to 10 as the living character is gradually developed. These pranas may be physical or psychical. 87
Sankhyas, 38 Vaisheshikas, 84 Vedantins40 and Ayurved scholars41 also have the word "Prana' with refrence to the living. They have comparatively quite a restricted meaning of the term. Activities like vibrations, expansion and contraction is the vedic view 4 2 The inhaling and exbaling is tbeir main idea during wbich one takes the air in and gives out air in different parts of the body. This process of respiration also supplies the necessary for many physiological processes occurring in the body at every moment. This energy is known as fire or fire god. Hence prana is fire. In contrast, the concept of prapas in Jaina philosophy is more complex. The Acharanga3 means the living one itself by this term. Bhagvati* has two
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