Jaina Biology

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 58

Cell Structures and Functions
produce light. Certain plants produce wild variety of substaoce-flower pigments, 35 perfumes,36 many types of drugs 37 and bacteria 38 and molds; certain animals can make deadly poisons 39 and also antibiotics 40 like the best chemists.
Bioluminescence
Although the glow worm ( khadyota )41 is the most conspicuous lightemitting organism, a number of other animals and some bacteria also have this ability.
Luminescent animals appear to be found among the protozoa, 42 annelids (pūpuraka , 43 crustaceans (gandūpada ),44 centipeds ( satapadi),45 molluscs ( Sankha ),46 etc. This scientific evidence of bioluminescena is supported by modern Biology which states that the fire-fly and glow-worm are the most conspicuous light-emitting organism,47 and “Luminescent animals are found among the protozoa, sponges, coelenterates, ctenophores, nemerteans, annelids, crustaceans, centipeds, millipeds, beettles, echinoderms, molluscs, hemichordates, tunicates and fishes. There appears no single evolutionary line of luminescent forms; the ability to emit light has appeared independently a number of times."'48
"It is sometimes difficult to establish the fact that an organism is itself luminescent in a number of instances, the light has been found to be emitted not by the organism but by bacteria. Several exotic East
35. Mañjistha ( Indian Madder ), Bhagavatí Sūtra, 8 6.334. 36. Ketaki flower produces Perfume, Bhagavati Sūira 16.6.582. 37. Hingurukkha (Forula, Asaf tida). Bhagavati 2.2.692; Haritage ( Terminalia
chefula ), Ibid. 22 2.692; Bhallaya ( Acajou; especially, acid quicea for medicine ), Ibid.; Asoga ( the tree Jonesia Asoka ), Ibid.; Arjuna (the Arjuna tree), Ibid. 22-3.692: AkKaVordida (the plant Calotropis Gigantea for optic rerve), Ibid., 2 -1-693; Bhangi (Can abis sativa), Ibid., 23.5.69; Tulsi ( Roly basil ) Ibid,
21.8.69. 18. Sūtrakstāáva, II, 3. 39. Věściká ( Scrrpion ). Manduka ( frog), Uraga (spake ), Bhagavati, Sūtra, 8.7.376;
Ahi (a cla's of snake ), Ajagara ( a class of snake ). Ibid., 15.1.560. 40. Nakula ( mangoose) Ibid., 8.3.12; 15.1 560. 41. Tarkarahasyadipika, Tikā on v. 49, p. 156; Sarvärthasiddbi, Acārya Pūjyapāda,
p. 9-; nrmagrantha 1, v. 46. 42, Uttaradhyaya na Sūtra 16.128; Tattvārtha Satra, II. 24. 43. Tattvārtha Sūtra, II. 24. 44. Ibid. 45. Ibid. 46. Ibid. 47. Biology, p. 77. 48. Ibid., p. 77.