Book Title: World of Conquerors
Author(s): Natubhai Shah
Publisher: Natubhai Shah

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Page 130
________________ 4. Respiratory vital completion (svaccosvaasa paryaapti) is responsible for the development and functioning of respiration. 5. Speech vital completion (bhaasaa paryaapti) is responsible for the development and functioning of the voice-organs. 6. Mind vital completion (mana paryaapti) is responsible for the development and functioning of the mind (thoughts, mental processes). Jain scriptures such as the Tattvartha Sutra, Jivaajivaabhigam Sutra and Jivakand contain details of worldly beings. They describe 303 forms of human beings. 15 are born in the 'land of action' (karmabhumi), 30 are born in the 'land of pleasures' (bhogabhumi) and 56 are born on 'islands' (antardvipa). Of these, 101 types they may be 'completioned', or ‘non-completioned' in utero, thus making 202 types. They describe another 101 types, which are invisible to the human eye, 'spontaneously generated from secretions', similar to the creatures whose secretions produce them. These texts describe 20 types of animals, which are divided into five groups: fourfooted land animals; climbing land animals; slithering animals; aquatic creatures; flying creatures. Each group has four types. They classify celestials into 198 types: 5 anuttars, 9 greivayakas, 12 vaimaanikas, 9 lokaantikas, 3 kilbisikas, 10 jyotiskas (including caraacara), 8 vaana vyantaras, 8 vyantaras, 10 bhavanpatis, 10 tiryagjhrunbhakas, and 15 paramaadhaamis. Each of these 99 types of heavenly being could be completioned' or 'non-completioned', making 198 types in all. Infernals are of 14 types, 7 'completioned' and 7 'non-completioned'. One of each type is spontaneously born in each of the seven hellish regions: ratnaprabhaa, sarkaraaprabhaa, vaalukaaprabhaa, pankaprabhaa, dhumaprabhaa, tamahprabhaa and tamastamah prabhaa. There are 535 types of five-sensed worldly beings, 22 types of one-sensed beings and 6 types of two-to four-sensed beings. Thus, Jain scriptures describe, in total, 563 types of worldly living beings, and advocate Jains to acquire the knowledge of jivas for the observance of ahimsaa and the other teachings of Jainism. Let us end this chapter by some thoughts of Kundakunda on the soul: 'I am alone, pure, having the nature of perception and the knowledge, always formless, nothing whatsoever (living or non-living) related to me, even an atom is mine' (Samayasaara: 1.38). 'In the soul, there is no colour, no smell, no taste, no touch, no visible form, no body, no bodily shape and no skeleton' (Samayasaara: 2.50). "The self, ignorant of its true nature, treads on the wrong path and attains karmic bondage; the self aware of its true nature, always treads on the right path and does not attract any karma' (Samayasaara: 3.127). 130

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