Book Title: Jaina Biology
Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 183
________________ 172 The Salivary Glands : Jaina Biology does not make mention of the salivary glands, but its reference to saliva (lala 36 suggests that the Jainacāryas had some idea of salivary gland which assist the food in moving down the throat, as well as to begin its chemical breakdown by secreting two kinds of saliva-"one type is watery to dissolve dry food and the other contains mucus to lubricate the food as it passes down the oesophagus and to make the food particles stick together in bolus (kavala) for swallowing."37 Food passes from the mouth cavity to the stomach (amoru or udara)38 through the pharynx and oesophagus as a result of peristalsis. Similar peristaltic waves help the movement of the contents of eaten food through all the organs of the digestive tube. The live airs (PancaVayus) Prana, apana, samana, Vyana and udana, causing the peristaltic waves, help the movement of the contents of food, its ingestion, digestion and absorption, etc.39 The Stomach (Udara or Amoru )40 The stomach is a thick-walled muscular sac on the left side of the body just beneath the lower rics. "Soon after the food reaches the stomach, peristaltic waves begin in the pyloric region as a result of the action of air (vayu), 14 passing from left to right, according to Modern Biology, toward opening into the into tho intestine42 (amta) At intervals, the pyloric sphincter relaxes, and a small amount of chyme is pushed into the small intestine by the contraction of the stomach."43 Jaina Biology 36. Aupapātika Sutra, edited by Dr. Leumann, Leipzig, gatha. 55, (38) "Haya lalapelaväirege dhavau", 48. 37. Biology. p. 299. 38. Kalyāṇakāraka, 3.4 (ämoru); 'Udara', Tandula Veyaliya, p. 38. 39. "Prāṇasthāpānasamānasaṁjñāu / Vyāno apyathodana-iti pradiştah pamcaiva ti vāyava eva nitya - maharanihāravinirgamarthaḥ //", Kalyāṇakāraka, 3.9. 40. Tandula Veyaliya, 17, p. 38; Kalyaṇakāraka, 3.4. 41. Kalyāṇakaraka, 3.9; see the metabolism and nutrition discussed at the end of this section. 42. Biology p. 301. 43. Biology, p. 301. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340