Jain Biology

Author(s): Jethalal S Zaveri, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 81

herbs. (Details of these have been given in the section in Prajñāpanā Sūrtra above).
Plants which have organisms which have one common gross body are again of many types:
Aluya, Mūlaya (radish), ginger,
Hirilī, Sirilī, Sissirilī, Jāvaī, Keyakandali, onion, garlic, Kudumbaya, Lohinihuya, Thihū, Kuhaga, Krişnakanda, Vajrakanda, Suraņa.
Assakanni, Sihakannī, Musumdhi, turmeric, and many more.
The maximum duration (life-span) of plant organisms is ten thousand years, minimum being less than 48 minutes.
[The section on plants has been dealt with more thoroughly in the previous scripture]
MOBILE ORGANISMS Mobile organisms are of three types:
(a) fire-bodied, (b) air-bodied and (c) organisms with organicbodied.
It can be seen that (a) and (b) (supra) which are usually classified as sthāvara, and (c) (supra) are regarded as trasa because of their mobility of some kind.
(A) FIRE-BODIED ORGANISMS
Fire is animate like earth and water. Whenever a fire is lighted living organisms are also produced simultaneously. Only if a fire is extinguished, the fire-bodied organisms die. The gross and fully developed ones are of many kinds; coal fire, chaff fire, fire, flame of fire, meteors, lightning and many more kinds.
The maximum duration of the life of fire-bodied organisms is three days; minimum being less than 48 minutes (antarmuhūrta). (B) AIR-BODIED ORGANISMS
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JAIN BIOLOGY