Jain Journal 2004 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 27

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JAIN JOURNAL : VOL-XXXIX, NO. 1 JULY 2004
the view that living and non-living systems are basicaliy different and obey different laws.
Saptadhātu organismic elements and Jainism
Dhātu in technical term is considered as elements of organism. The total number of dhātu is seven, such as, 1. rasa (chyle), asrg (blood), mārsa (flesh), meda (fat), asthi (bone), majjā (marrow), sukra (semen)33. It is suggested that the body and body-organs of all living organisms are a combination of these seven dhātus. The seven dhātus are the non-separable constituents of the physical body of living organisms, and these itself are taken as the power (sakti) of jīva. Through this power of energy (virya) jīva is capable to do work and to produce a change in matter or physical body. In the language of Biology it brings about by different kinds of processes, such as, absorption, assimilation and transformation. They help to transform rasībhūtamāhāram (molecules of nutrients) into chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen34 etc. These seven dhātus intermix with each other and transform into the form of different parts of the body.
The change of transformation of one substance into another is processed with complex biochemical reaction at different parts of the body of a jīva. It can be explained by following manner?s.
The food stuff which goes down to the gullet by the action of prāņavāyu (biomotor force) becomes mixed up first with a gelatinous mucus (phenabhūtam kapham) and then gets acidulated by the further chemical action of a digestive juice (Vidahadamalatam gataḥ). Next samānavāyu drives down the chyme by means of the grahaninādi (aesophagus canal) to the pittāśaya (duodenum) and thence to the small intestines (āmapakvāśaya). The bile acts on the chyme converts the later into chyle (rasa). This chyle contains in a decomposed and metamorphosed condition. All the organic compounds, viz. tissueproducing earth compounds, water-compounds, teja-compounds, vayu-compounds and finer etheric constituents which serve as the vehicle of consciousness.
The essence of chyle (sükşmabhāga) is driven by prāņavāyu, from the small intestines first to the heart, thence to the liver (and the spleen). In the liver the coloring substance in the bile acts on the