Jaina Biology

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan

Page 14

37787a-89 • 135 hunger and thirst, devadatta in bringing about yawning, dozing, etc. and dhanañjaya in causing coma, swooning and trance.si
The study of the different views on Prāņa or Väyu shows that Jaina paryāpti or prāņa is neither a result of peculiar chemical combinations of non-living matter as advocated by the Cārvākas nor a complex activity of the Sāṁkhya but a sort of separate principle (adhyātma vāyu) pervasive of the organism as defined by the Vedānta, an impelling force, the prime-mover of Caraka and Susruta. It appears to be the actual living material of all plants and animals like protoplasm of modern Biology. Jaina paryāpti and prāņa, the two unique forces, not explainable in terms of Physics and Chemistry, are associated with and control life. The concept of these forces may be called vitalism which contains the view that living and non-living systems are basically different and obey different laws. Many of the phenomena of life that appear to be so mysterious in Jaina Biology may be explained by physical and chemical principles with the discovery of future research in this field. So it is reasonable to suppose that paryāpti, a mysterious aspect of life, although not identifiable with protoplasm, comes nearer to the latter because of its unique functions in the organisms.
According to modern Biology, "protoplasm is the actual living material of all plants and animals. This is not a single substance but varies considerably from organism to organism, among the various parts of a single animal or plant, and from one time to another with a single organ or part of an animal or plant. There are many kinds of protoplasm, but they share certain fundamental physical and chemical characteristics."52
“The protoplasm of the human body and of all plants and animals exists in discrete portions know as cells. These are the microscopic unit of structure of the body, each of