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BOOK 2, LECTURE 3.
389
(of growth) of these plants some beings-born in earth, originated in earth, and grown in earth, having in it their birth, origin, and growth, being impelled by their Karman, and coming forth in it on account of their Karman, growing there in particles of earth, the origin of various things — come forth as trees ?. (1)
These living beings feed on the liquid substance 2 of these particles of earth, the origin of various things; these beings consume earth bodies, waterbodies, fire-bodies, wind-bodies, bodies of plants ; they deprive of life the bodies of manifold movable and immovable beings; the destroyed bodies which have been consumed before, or absorbed by the rind, (are) digested and assimilated (by them). And the bodies of these (trees) which bring forth their different parts, are of manifold colours, smells, tastes, touches, forms, and arrangement of corporeal particles 3.
and some are of a sixth kind called sam mûrkhima' (i.e. those plants which are believed to be originated by the coalescing particles of the substance in which they grow, e.g. grass springing up on ground lately cleared by fire).— The various readings of the Nâgârgunîyas are occasionally quoted in commentaries (see e.g. part i, p. 32, note 2). But I do not think that it has been satisfactorily made out who these Nâgârgunîyas were.
1 The meaning is, that souls who on account of their Karman are to be born as trees, previously are embodied in earth, and thence they are transferred by their Karman to the seed which brings forth the tree.
2 Sinêha, explained : snigdhabhâva. In the sequel where plants are spoken of, I shall render this word by sap' or 'humours,' as the context may require.
3 I.e. the food assimilated by the tree is the material of which its different parts, as root, stem, leaves, &c., are formed, and these parts are of manifold form, colours, &c.
