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Jaina Biology
It is suggestive from the study of Jaina Biology that the Jainācāryas have worked out a theory of a sort of gradual evolving life forms on the basis of the number of sense-organs208 from the microorganisms (nigodas)209 - one-sensed210 up to five-sensed animals-men211 according to their metaphysical belief that Karmaprakrti strives to change from the simple and imperfect to the more complex and perfect as a result of modifications or progress of Karmas212 accumulated in successive births in past life.
But it seems unlikely that men will ever know how life originated, whether it happened only once or many times or whether it might happen again.
Like Ray and Kinnaeus213 the Jaidācāryas are firm believers in the unchanging nature of species as is evidenced in their classifications of organisms. 213
From the point of view of the present day taxonomists an evolutionary relationship among the species of organisms - plants and animals-may be discovered on the basis of their anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, their embryologic and genetic histories, etc.
A close study of the world of life of plants and animals as presented in Jaina Biology shows that there is a remarkable fitness of the organism for the place (thāna),214 in which it lives, e. g. water for aquatic animals (Jalacaras), land for terrestreal animals, (Sthalacaras) and air for aerial animals (Nabhacaras).216 It is suggestive from this fact of fitness of organisms that their structure, of function, even of behaviour pattern, has arisen in course of evolution by natural selection
268. Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 36. 68-97.
Pannavaņā Sutta 1. 19-55 Egimuiyajīvapaņņavanā upto 1. 92–138 (pamcendiya
manussajivapannvanál. 209. Bhagavati 25. 5, 749; Jivābhigama Sūtra p. 997
Pannavana, 1.55 120 ; Lokaprakasa 1. 4th Sarga v. 32,
Nigodaşattrimsikä ; Gommața sāra (Jiva ). V. 7! 210. Uttaradhyayana Sūtra 36. 68 ff. Pannavanā 1.19-55. 211. Uttaradhyayana Sūtra, 36. 194-7; Pannavanā 1.19.55 212. Sūtrakştānga 11 3. 62. 213. Biology p. 543. 2 14. Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 36. 215. Pannavana Sutta ?, Thānapayam Sūtra 148-166, etc. 216. Uttaradhy-yana Sūtra 6.171.
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