________________
434 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
or indirect. This canonical point requires better definition of the term 'sammūrchima'. Similarly, the canonical concept about hermaphroditic character of a-sexual living beings also requires re-examination under many scientific facts.
The canonical a-sexual birth of 1-4 sensed beings represents the first stage of livingness followed by more developed state of sexual birth. Thus, Jaina canons also believe in evolutionary process of developing level of consciousness as also mentioned by Sikadar57. The sexual procreation of scientists has direct or indirect fusion of two nucleii. The mammalian procreation is a direct sexual one. The microscopically visible procreation of many plants and lower animals is an indirect sexual one. This has been called a-sexual in canons. It suggests that canonical contents represent the visible points of observation of pre-microscopic age. However, on finer observations, later literature points out many animals of 1-4 senses to be incubatory and sexually procreated 58. The question of practical and absolutist viewpoint on this matter and to call incubatory as a-sexual is just to forestall the growth front of accurate knowledge not in tune with the examination based Jainology59. This point leads to another fact that later authors have added newer informations whether they add or contradict the earlier statements. Heredity Characters and Sex
The scientists believe that the basic progeny characters are supposed to originate and develop from many factors involving seminal and menstruation fluids (genetic source ), sensory and nervous systems, glandular secretions, bio-electric and bio-chemical changes, internal and external surroundings and emotion-carrying electromagnetic or electrostatic stimulations, They may be effective in various permutations and combinations involving mutational characters. Thus, an infinite variety of mental and emotional states and activities may originate in a species. Every living system has natural and circumstancial intakes of these factors for the resulting characters which have
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org