________________
Evolution or Organic Life In Jaina Biology
269
animais, although the Jainācāryas do not believe in this evolutionary relationship.
The Evidence from Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry:
In general, if the important physiologic processes of a rat (muşika) 18 and those of man (mansusya ),19 as both of them belong to the fivesensed mammalian group, are compared in the light of modern Biology, it is revealed that a rat has a replica of the human heart (brdaya ), lungs (phopphasa ), stomach (udara ) and most of the other organs. "These structures of the rat are functioning in a manner almost identical to those of human beings"20 “There are, of course differences - in the vitamin requirements, in the arrangement of a few blood vessels and in the workings of the reproductive system, but in general, the important physiologic processes of respiration, and nervous response are the same as ours, yet rats and human beings belong to different orders of the class."21
It has been revealed by blood tests involving different animals that there is a basic similarity between “the blood proteins of all the mammals, the degree of relationships being indicated by how much antigen and antibody result in visible precipitation."22
Man's closest "blood relationships" as determined in this way, are the great apes, then, in order are the old world monkeys, the new world prehensile-tailed monkeys and tarsioids.'23 The evidence from Embryology :
The study of the embryonic development in Jaina Biology reveals that human embryos in the course of development repeat the evolu
18. Tattvarthadhigama Sutra II 34.
Musika ( rat) belongs to potaja group (a class of placental mammals compri
sing the Deciduata with the exception of Man, Apes and the carnivora. 19. Ibid. Mapuşya belongs to Jarayuja group. (Mammals born with placenta ). 20. Biology, p. 544. 21. Biology, P, 445.
In Jaina Biology Rat and Man belong to Potaja and Bhuja apasarpa group
and Jarāyuja group respectively, TS. II. 34. (Bhāşya) 21. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 23. Tandula Veyaliya 2, p. 6.
"Sattāmham Kalalam hoim, sattāham hoi abbuyan / abbuyā jayac pesi pesto ya ghaṇam bhave ! ... .. to padhame māse karisūņam palam jayai / bie mase pesi sarjayae ghana 2 ....... upto atthame māsc vittikappo havai ?". The embryo repeats here the evolutionary history of his ancestors.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
