Scientific Secrets of Jainism

Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

Page 318

28. Water : Sentient
And Non-sentient: A Scientific View-point
According to Jain scriptures water is a living organism. Every molecule of it is a living organism. Also, since it is a place of production i.e. birth-cavity of other living organisms, there are numerous organisms and micro-organisms in it. They are capable of producing a number of diseases in the body. It is, therfore, good for the sake of health to drink water after boiling it.
In the present times at some places ash, lime or sugar is mixed with water in order to make it lifeless. Though, according to the Jain canonical scriptures, water becomes lifeless if ash, lime or sugar is mixed with it, scriptures and other sources give no instruction about the quantity of ash, lime or sugar that should be added into water and about the preiod of time after which that water becomes lifeless. Really speaking, it is proper only for monks and nuns to accept such water which has thus been made lifeless because if a layperson hurts earth, water, fire, air or vegetables i.e. plants or other living organisms in order to procure these things for monks or nuns, those monks and nuns commit a sin. If water is thus made lifeless only for monks and nuns, it is not acceptable to monks and nuns even if it is lifeless.
In ancient times, monks and nuns, during their begging rounds, were accepting in their begging bowls, water, in which pulses or rice had been washed or water containing some residue of flour left over at the end of baking breads if the water did not contain any grains or did not give any taste of flour or any eatable substance, and if the water could quench thirst. And for the laypersons, it is prescribed that while practising penance or otherwise, they should drink thrice boiled lifeless water. This was an ancient Svētāmbara tradition based on scriptures. In the present times, this custom prevails among monks and nuns of the some sects, groups, gachchas or divisions. Therefore, their followers also thus make water lifeless by mixing into it ash or lime but this is altogther improper. By accepting water made