Pushkarmuni Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Devendramuni, A D Batra, Shreechand Surana
Publisher: Rajasthankesari Adhyatmayogi Upadhyay Shree Pushkar Muni Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 447

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श्री पुष्करमुनि अभिनन्दन ग्रन्थ : चतुर्थ खण्ड
parts of the skeleton70, the number of bones 871 bone marrow (atthimimja) 272 brain matter (matthumga)*73 joints (sandhi),274 firmness of joints (samghayana)275 pieces of muscles (māmsa pesis)270, nerves (ņbāru)277, ligaments (kaņdarā)278, tendons (mām sarajju)978 sense-organs (indiya)280 and a few endocrine glands--seminal ducts (Sukkadharini sira), testes, 281 (Vasaņa), ovaris 282 (Kuksis or garbbäśaya of the female), fallopian tubes (Sirädugam),243, uterus (yoni)284 etc.
It is observed in Jaina Biology that the actual process of reproduction varies tremendou ly from one kind of animal to another 285, but two basic types of reproduction, asexual or spontaneous generation acquivoca (Saṁmūrcchima) and sexual (garbhaja) or (garbha-vyutkrantika)286 can be distinguished. Even the highest animals reproduce asexually as evidenced by the fact that "the production of identical twins from splitting of a single fertilized, egg, is a kind of asexual reproduction" 287
Asexual reproduction (Sammurchima) 288 involves biologically only of single parent (i. e. it does not required parents), which splits, buds or fragments to give rise to two or more offsprings which have heredity traits identical to those of the parents.289 Sexual reproduction involves, two parents 280 each of which contributes a specialized ovum or gamete (eggs and sperm)#1 which fuse to form the zygote or fertilized egg.
Human reproduction, 202 in common with the of most animals, is accomplished sexually by the union of specialized gametes--ova or eggs (ojam) produced by the female and sperm (sukkam) produced by the male.193
A man and a woman combine in cohabitation in a cummus (Yoni) and there they deposit their humours. Therein are born the souls of different men.
Then there take place the division, growth and differentiation of a fertilized egg into the remarkable complex and interdependent system of organs which is the adult animal.205 The organs are complicated and reproduced in each new individual with extreme fidelity of pattern, but many of the organs begin to function, while still developing 206 The pattern of cleavage, while still blastula formation (hollow ball of cell formation of first element formation), and gastrulation is seen, with various modifications, 297 in all men and in the multicellular animals, according to modern Biology.288
Jaina Biology reveals that heredity is the tendency of individuals to resemble their progenitors.198 Each new generation of organisms from two-sensed to five-sensed closely resembles its parents as is evidenced by the fact of the classification of animals on the basis of the possession of the number of sense-organs and similar structures 300 and certain parental characteristics 301 which appear frequently in successive generations of a given family tree. Although the resemblances between the parents and offsprings are close, they are usually not exact.
The expression of inherited characters may be strongly influenced by the environment in which the individual develops as is found in the case of Jalacaras (aquatic), Sthalacaras (terrestrials) and Khecaras (aerial) prānis (animals). 302
As regards to the determination of sex Jaina Biology explains that the relative predominance of Sukra (Semen-sperm) in the fertilized ovum (gabbha) is a factor which influences the sexual character of the resulting offspring. That is, the excess of sperm cell produces, the male, while that of the germ cell (Oyam=Sonita) produces the female. If the sperm-cell and germ cell (i.e. sukra and Oyam-Sonita) are equal a neuter (napumsaka) is born.303
Besides, the determination of sex depends in part on a periodicity to which the life history of the ovum in the female parent is conceived to be subject to a law under which the fertilization of the ovum on the fourth day after the menstrual discharge, or on the alternate (even) days succedding, is favourable to the foetus developing the male sexual character, and on alternate following days to the foetus assuming the female sex.304
The view of Jaina Biology on the determination of sex is corroborated by the evidence