Pushkarmuni Abhinandan Granth

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

Page 448

A Survey of the plant and Animal Kingdoms as Revealed in Jaina Biology
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of Indian Ayurvedic Science and supported indirectly by modern Biology genetically in the following manner : "In man and perhaps in other mammals maleness is determined in large part by the presence of chromosome. An individual who has the constitution is nearly a normal male in his external appearance, though with under-developed gonads. An individual with one X but no Y chromosome has the appearance of an immature female".
"Eggs contain one X chromosome, half the sperms have an X chromosome, the other half have a Y. Fertilization of an X-bearing egg by an Y-bearing sperm results in an XX, female, zygote. The fertilization of an X-bearing egg by a Y-bearing sperm results in an XY, male, zygote" 105
Some of the phenomena in human inheritance have been observed by the Jainācāryas on the basis of some principles of inheritance of human traits as revealed in the Jaina works. It is suggested that the development of each organ of the body is regulated by a large number of genes306 (units of inheritance). The age at which a particular gene expresses itself phenitypically may vary widely as is indicated by ten daśās (stages) 307 of human life.
Most characteristics308 develop long before birth but some such as hair and eye, colour, etc, may not appear until shortly after birth.309 Some, such as, amaurotic idiocy (bālatva or mandatva)31 becomes evident in early childhood and still others, such as, cough, phlegm,bending of the body, feeble sense-organs etc.371 develop only after the individual has attained maturity.
"The inheritance of mental ability or intelligence is one of the most important, yet one of the most difficult problems of human genetics".312 The reference to the mental cpacities of people forming continuous series from idiot (manda or Jada) to genius (maņişi) 318 suggests that "intelligence is inherited by a system of polygenes"31. brought about by Karma.315 Other evidence substantiates this hypothesis.316
Modern Biology explains that "The inheritance of feeble-mindedness is due to a single recessive gene"317
It is now evident that the inheritance of mental defect is much more complex. Feeblemindedness may be caused by diseases 31. or by other evironmental factor $1. but the majority of cases are due to inheritance 320
It is suggestive from the study of Jaina Biology that the Jainācāryas have worked out a theory of a sort of gradual evolving life forms on the basis on the number of sense-organs321 from the micro-organisms (nigodas) 33 one-sensed 323 up to five-sensed animals men according to their metaphysical belief that Karma-Praksti strives to change from the simple and imperfect to the more complex and perfect as a result of modifications or purificaion of Karmas 325 accumulated in successive births in past life.
But it seems unlikely that men will ever know how life originated whether it happened only once or many times or whether it might happen again.
Like Ray and Kinnaeus 326 the Jainācāryas are firm believers in the unchanging nature of species as is evident in their classifications of organisms.327
From the points of view of the present day taxonomists an evolutionary relationship among the species of organisms- plants and animals may be discovered on the basis of their anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, their embryologic and genetic histories, etc.
A close study of the world of life of plants and animals as presented in Jaina Biology shows that there is a remarkable fitness of the organism for the place (thāna)*28 in which it lives, e. g. water for aquatic animals (Jalacaras), land for terrestrial animals, (Sthalacaras) and air for aerial animals (Nabhacaras) 320. It is suggestive from this fact of fitness of organisms for the habitats in which they live that this fitness of their structure, of function, even of behaviour pattern has arisen in course of evolution by natural selection as explained by modern Biology 830. "The outcome of evolution is a population of organisms, a species, adapted to survive in certain type of environment". 331