________________
490 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
The birth and birth-places have also been described in canons. They have been mentioned before. There are 2.4 million species of mobile beings under sexual and a-sexual birth. The canons describe three types of shapes of the vagina while the scientists would tell us five types of shapes in the form of : (i) single meridian ( flat ), duplex ( rats ), bipartite ( frog ), bi-cornuate ( cat, horse) and (v) simplex (human )393.
Besides the above physical aspects, many psychical aspects have also been mentioned in canons. Passions, colourations, faith, vision, attachment, restraint, liberatability, kārmic bonding, spiritual stages, applied consciousness and many others have been described qualitatively for mobile beings under different levels. These aspects have sufficient details as their qualitative control induces the living beings to move on a path of salvation which is the main aim of religion. Comparing these details with plant kingdom, it would be observed that animal kingdom has higher capacities, activities and volitional possiblities.
A summary of canonical and zoological contents regarding the mobile beings is given in Table 12 which shows the comparative current position. It shows a gulf of difference in many respects. The quantitative aspects are also differing by a factor of 1010. Table 12 : Canonical and Zoological Concepts Regarding
Animal World.
No. Concepts
Canonical
Zoological
3
1. Ways of Study 2. Taxonomy 3. Development
20-40
12 ( No repetition ) See Table 2 See Table 10 Through comple- Simultaneous apptions/vitalities deve- earance of parts loping gradually and then gradual
development
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
