Scientific Secrets of Jainism

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

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Scientific Secrets of Jainism
on about 1615 A.D. it came to India. A reference to it in ancient scriptures is, therefore, impossible. On this ground they say that it is not a statement made by Omniscient God that 'The potato is an Anantakāya or Sadhārana Vanaspatikāya' but it is rule made by nescient (chadmastha). But this argument is not proper.
It is not possible for scriptures to talk of all kinds of plants, Anantakāya and animals etc. Scriptures only give characteristics and some names of Anantakāyika plants. On the basis of their characteristics our ancient sages have shown that potato etc. are Anantakāya. The tomato, the apple etc. too are not products of India and nowhere do the scriptures talk of them. Our scripturists of later times have not prohibited them because they do not show the characteristics of Anantakāya.
It was a tradition of our ancient sages that they never wrote anything against scriptures. They also observed the rule that nothing should be written without a reference or basis and they had no reason to make statements that were not true. They were more learned and more sin-fearing than we are. Their statements, therefore, are not unacceptable simply because they were not omniscient.
Another question may be raised that if we are prohibited to eat bulbous roots, how are we justified in eating dry ginger and dry turmeric? How can we be allowed to eat them even if they are dry? This is an excellent question. When ginger and turmeric are green, they are no doubt Anantakāyas. Later on when they dry up, they automatically become lifeless and knives and other instruments are not needed in order to dehydrate them. But the potato does not become dry naturally or automatically. If the potato is kept somewhere in sunlight for a long time, in a few days, it begins to decay. If it is to be dehydrated, it should be cut into small and fine chips. Then they become lifeless. As food, potatoes are used in a great quantity. It is not proper to kill those infinite lives or living beings for our sake. The potato is, therefore, prohibited for us. Ginger and turmeric are not food. In a very small quantity they are used as medicine to add to the quality of food. They are, therefore, acceptable. The dry potato is, therefore, altogether unfit to be eaten but ginger and turmeric are fit to be eaten after they become dry.
Another question may arise. Is ground-nut a bulbous root or not? Really speaking, though a ground-nut grows underground, it is not regarded to be