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62 First Steps to Jainism
Vitality
One Sensed beings like trees
Two sensed beings like bacteria
Three sensed beings beings like lice
Four Five Five sensed sensed sensed beings beings beings
being like without with flies
mind mind like like mindless man animals
1. Sense of touch 1
Sense of taste Sense of smell
Sense of sight 5. Sense of hearing - 6. Respiration 1 7. Life duration 1 8. Body power 9. Power of speech - 10. Mind power
Total No. of vitalities
4
6
7
8
9
10
16. It shall follow from the above classification of living beings that with the increase in the number of vitalities from class to class of living beings the consciousness also increases, with increase in the capacity to feel pain and pleasure. In the same manner the quantum of violence involved in causing pain or injury to different classes of creatures varies with the so called more advanced forms of creation with more vitalities. This becomes manifest in two ways. Firstly, the amount of passion generated in the killer (or injurer) of say animals like goats or cows is more than what is in the case when cutting a tree-because more effort, more determination and preparation is required. Secondly, (which is the cause
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