Sumanmuni Padmamaharshi Granth

Author(s): Bhadreshkumar Jain
Publisher: Sumanmuni Diksha Swarna Jayanti Samaroh Samiti Chennai

Page 654

Glory of Jain Culture
has two varieties - (1) This-worldly death (2) Continuual death. This - worldly death means destruction of vitalities while continuual death seems to mean everlasting process of cellular destruction and regeneration or continuual loss of particles of life span karma. There may be natural death, there may be accidental death. There may be fool's death, there may be prudent's death or there may be holy death. The texts describe 17 causes of death including physical and psychical (fear, sorrow, pains etc). and demigodal ones. The T.S. 2.53 mentions that some class of excellent persons may not have accidental death and that death may be delayed by Ayurvedic treatments.
The death process is also described by medical biologists. They also tell us it is a natural phenomena caused due to internal or external physical factors like accidents, failure of body parts, suicide etc. and many psychological factors as indicated in Canons. However, they do not approve of demonical death, it being taken as a form of psychological death. They point out that at normal death, there are certain changes like (1) Stoppage of cellular regeneration processess (2) Zeroing of bio-electrical charges of the living beings so that circulatory systems stop functioning and (3) Stoppage of heart beat etc., as given in the Table 9 below.
Table 9: Death in Canons and Biology S. No. Details
Canonical 1. Characteristics Destruction of vitalities
Biological (1) Stoppage of cellular regeneration (2) Zeroing of bio-electric charges. (3) Failure of body parts etc. Clinical death, brain death
2.
Types
5; Natural, accidental, demonical continual, holy
2
Causes : Physical Psychological Demonical Euthanasia Death delay
Not mentioned Medication, Meditation
Rarely permitted Medication, Meditation, Chilling, Under-eating, Telomer control, reducing neurological defects etc. No restriction
Full span of life
Excellent-bodied, Long- lived
6.
Transmigration
Yes
Can't say
30
Studies on Biology in Tattvartha Sutra (Formulae on Reals)