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420 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
tion. They classify the living ones in two broad categories - (i) plants and (ii) animals. The plants represent the class of immobile beings. The scientists do not agree to the livingness of the first four canonical immobiles ( earth, fire, water, air ). Per chance, they have been taken as living by the Jainas due to substrate-substratum relationship. This animism of Jainas reflects the influence of Vedāntins. The scientists have differentiated the plants and animals on the basis of their visible characteristics and structures which have already been tabulated earlier. On sense-based canonical classification, the plants represent 1-sensed beings. The living beings under this category are said to number about half a million by scientists.
On the other hand, the animals represent living beings with 2-5 senses. They number about a million species. The scientists have classified both the living kingdoms on the three bases :
(i) Natural System : It is based on similarities of some natural characteristics and properties like morphology, structures and genus.
(ii) Artificial System : It is based on habitat, sexual characteristics and other properties.
( ili ) Phylogenic System : It is based on phylum, internal structures and developmental similarities.
The Bentham and Hooker classification is most current for plants. It is based on natural system. Engler system is based on phylogenic system. The Linnaus system is an artificial system. He has also devised the current binomial nomenclature of plants in later half of eighteenth century.
The animals have also been classified on the basis of morphology, embryology, paleo-ontology and evolution etc. The classification of Store and Usinger is currently widely accepted 19. Both these classifications will be comparatively given in due course. It may, however, be pointed out that the Jaina taxonomy has generally a mixed character.
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