________________
426 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
various developments take place from 12 weeks onwards. Bhagavati, Tandulaveyaliya 32 and other canons have pointed out many details about the period intervening between conception and birth known as pregnancy period given in Table 5. The maximum and minimum periodical limits have not been verified by the scientists. The canons also point out that there are psychic senses in the living cell at the point of conception rather than physical ones. It has an invisible fine body effected by outer environment - a fact agreed by current scientists 33. Table 6 : Characteristics of Categories of Births. No. A-sexual
Uterine
Special bed 1. Macroscopic Microscopic 2. Short lived
Long lived
Longer lived 3. Cause-effect visible/ Cause-effect invisiknown
ble/unknown 4. Neuter gender Distinct gender Distinct gender 5. Formation of body Formation of body Formation of in all directions: by fusion of sperm body by trans
and ovum in womb formable matters 6. Open vagina Open-cum-closed Closed vagina
vagina 7. Hot, cold, hot-cum- Hot, cold, hot-cum- Hot and cold cold vagina ( hot for vagina
vagina fire bodies ) 8. Wet, dry and mixed Mixed vagina Dry vagina
vagina 9. -
Conch, tortoise & -
flat shaped Vagina Types of Birth-places, their Number and Shapes
Table 6 shows that the Jaina canons have described about the types of birth-places, vaginas or wombs (yonis ) in addition to the above birth mechanism. Normally, a birth place is a container of birth species for its proper development before it appears freely. Each species has its special types of birth
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
