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Chapter 15
Zoological Contents in Prākṛta Canons
Modern zoology deals with animal kingdom including human beings. They form the second and more important variety of living beings in the middle portion of the Jaina universe. Canonically, there is difference between animals and human beings-representing two separate destinities. There are two specific terms used in canons. The animals and plants belong to the class of transverse movers or non-movers called 'tiryak' or 'tiryañcas' having 1-5 senses with or without mind. The human beings, on the other hand, belong to the class of erect or transverse movers called mobiles or 'trasas' having 2-5 senses with or without mind. Thus, we have,
(i) Tiryañcas or
1-5 sensed excluding human beings transverse moving (and hellish & celestials ) : pure and family mixed1
family
(ii) Trasa or mobile 2-5 sensed beings including human family (and hellish & celestials ). Generally, current zoology will include all the mobile family of living one, and 2-5 sensed animals of tiryañca family. Thus, while canons differentiate between animals and human beings, the zoological sciences do not as they presume evolutionary concept of development for different species. The hellish and celestial are also mobile but they will not be discussed here because of limitations of scientific methods.
Canonically, the mobile beings are defined as those which have slow or fast translocational movements for food and shelter, experience of pain, pleasure, fear etc. and activity towards self-protection from 15 types of pains2. They contain a minimum of two senses. They may have mind or brain also. The karma theory presumes they are born in this destinity due
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