Book Title: Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons
Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Page 511
________________ Zoological Contents in Prākṣta Canons : 489 involve the ten above and feeling for pain, pleasure, sorrow, attachment and aversion and religion. The knowledgal instincts are the five types of knowledges. Thus, out of 21, the deficientsensed mobiles may have a maximum of 17 ( only two knowledges and no religion ). The completioned and rational mobiles may have all the instincts. These require the existence of different levels of mind for expressions. Alternatively, there is a second set of instincts mostly to be found in rational beings — education, activity, instructions, recitation 30 Table 1 shows that different mobile beings have gradually increasing number of vitalities depending on their senses. They range between 5-10. The Jaina seers have dealt with the current minimum and maximum life-spans of mobile beings. Though nothing could be said about the minimum life-span of less than 48 minutes, but maximum life-span seems to decrease from 12 years to six months as the senses grow from 2-4. However, the trend is changed drastically in the 5-sensed completioned animlas and human beings. Their maximum life-span increases to 3-palyas (pit-based large units )21. This requires some positive verification from current scientists. However, it seems there is not very much work on life-spans of mobile species in biological sciences. The sizes of mobiles have also a minimum and maximum. The minimum seems to be too small to be measurable - about 10-16 to 10-18 cni., the maximum also varies between 10 km. to 13000 km (in case of water moving 5-sensed mobiles )32. The maximum size of men is said to be 10 km. The body height of the first Tirthankara — Lord Rşbhadeva is said to be 500D (equivalent to 2.80 km.) which seems sufficiently less in comparison to the above maximum. However, the possibility of such maximum heights of mobile beings is worth investigative verification. Exceptional examples of fossil age animals do not lend high support to such heights. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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