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Studies on Biology in Tattvārtha-Stūra :
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concern here with the third type as it relates to the upper and lower world and we are dealing with middle world only. The remaining two types of birth are important here. Table 7 indicates the types of birth, which different types of living being may have as per T.S. and biological science. T.S. mentions A-sexual birth for 1-4 sensed ones and sexual birth for the 5-sensed ones. In contrast, the biologist have three types of birth mechanisms; (1) Vegetative (2) a-sexual and (3) Sexual. Many plants have vegetative reproduction but most have indirect sexual reproduction. Similarly the 2-4 sensed beings also do have sexual reproduction. It may be indirect as there is not fixed place for birth and most of the times, no internal receptors for sperms. Thus, external sexual birth takes place in many cases. Of course, there is uterine birth for 5-sensed beings in T.S. and biology.
Table 7 : Different Types of Birth for Living Beings. S.N. Birth
T.S.
Biological Science 1. Uterine birth (Direct 5-sensed (men,
5-sensed (men, sexual) animals)
animals) 1-4 sensed has also indirect
sexual birth. 2. Spontaneous or a
1-4 sensed, some 5- Very few categories sexual birth sensed beings
of primary living
beings.
The Digambara Commentators of T.S. have defined the term ‘Sammūrchima' as production of a living species from critical collection of surrounding material bodies when spontaneous generation takes place. This definition suggests that the Jains could accept the Cārvāka or Aristotlean theory of materialistic origin of primary or higher life, which goes against their concept of living, begets living. To alleviate this, the term should be redefined. The Sthānārga-vrtti (P. 108) has defined it in terms of non-uterine birth, which may also involve vegetative reproduction. It is because, the prefix 'a' could have two meanings: (1) Complete negation of sex as in vegetative reproduction or (2) Indirect (not-perceptible to eye) sex as in many cases of 1-4 sensed beings as is pointed out in Kalpasūtra in the form of oviparous uterine births of honey-bees, spiders and ants besides reptiles. There is no mention of this type of explanation in
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