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396 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
ence between the pure and worldly living. The scientists are, however, not in a position to prove this. They have only one type of living unit – the worldly one about which the philosophers have described nearly the same way as the scientists, Lodha” refers to Jivābhigama, Prajñāpanā and Bhagavati to show that about eight important characteristics of the living are included in the concept of completions and vitalities as shown in table 9. The vitality of age/duration may mean death also. The irritability may be taken as first stage of consciousness.
Despite the fact that canonical eternality of pure living does not involve birth, growth and death phenomenon, the worldly one has these characteristics of life as shown in Bhagavati. The common man also observes that there could be no new worldly living entity until it has birth through any of the processes. Besides, the canons have also described growth and death phenomenon. Summing up the contents spread over in different canons, it is found that almost all the scientifically essential characteristics of the living are traceable there and they seem to have mostly material approach. The para-psychologists and accounts of previous births did seem to give a setback to the scientists view92. However, Khushavant Singh categorically denies the correctness of these descriptions mentioning this as the cause of closure of para-psychology department of Rajasthan University in the later seventh decade of this century93
All scholars appreciate canonical contents about the definition of the living on the basis of current biological findings. It seems, however, that these contents mostly refer to externally observed facts. They keep mum over the why and how of these facts. They tell us about five bodies of gross and fine nature but there is nothing about their physical, chemical or physiological functions. They have respiration, but there seems to be nothing about the nature and composition of inhaled or exhaled gases or substances. It is said that food affects the functions,
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