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462 : Scientific Contents in Prākṛta Canons
mutated. They have passions and aural colouration of first three types. They have karmic body bondage with feelings of pain and pleasure. Their life-span is varying between a minimum of 48 mts. to 10,000 yrs. with fine plants to have a very large life span. Numerically, botanists do agree that the number of fine or general plants is far more than gross plants. Of course, this is also true that fine plants have not been studied in as great a detail as the gross plants.
The respirations in plants have been detailed in Bhagavati which mentions that it could be substantive, all-regional, all-timal and all-statal. However, the word respiration seems to have a wider sense in canons. It represents food in general for plants. Scientifically, it represents generally nasal gaseous intakes (outer skin of plants serves this purpose). This is confirmed in plants today by carbon dioxide cycle occurring continuously where carbon dioxide is intaken and oxygen is released in atmosphere. This cycle is very important for human life.
Canons have pointed out that though there is only the first sense in plants physically, but they may have all the senses psychically. Canonically, they have a-sexual reproduction only while the botanists verify their sexual birth also.
The above summary of botanical contents in canons suggest that they are comparatively not as much as in case of animals and human beings. However, many canons have mentioned names of many trees in kingly gardens and forests to show their large variety. Moreover, it can be surmised that the Jainas had developed many basic concepts about structure and classification of plants much earlier than the botanists. The scientifically verifiable canonical livingness in plants is not only factual but suggests for a non-violent and equalitarian morality among humans. The practice of this concept is one of the major solutions for the environmental problems of the day where not only avoidable destruction of plants has become a sin, but their plantations are being declared as a sacred duty also.
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