Bhagwan Mahaweer : the Buoyant Biologist

 Bhagwan Mahaweer : the Buoyant Biologist

Bhagwan Mahaweer asserted, “Plants have life”, as an ancient truth of Jain Darshan 2550 years ago. This was ridiculed by Science until Dr J C Basu (1858-1937) proved Mahaweer to be really true in the late 19th century. But Mahaweer, like his predecessor Tirthankaras, had even seen very, very fine organisms called nigodia, much finer than the bacteria seen by modern science. This was when even the microscope was not yet conceived. These extremely minute organisms live in nigod, which literally means an abode of infinitely infinite fine organisms.

Bhagwan Mahaweer also stated that plants have feelings. Steve Baxter (1924-2013) proved this statement by conducting experiments on trees in a garden. He demonstrated that when the woodcutter entered the garden even without an axe in his hand, the plants showed fear and nervousness because he had cut a tree in his previous visit. According to Jainism, the ten sentiments that plants possess are: hunger (pitcher-plant), fear (touch-me-not), sex (male and female ashoka-plant), accumulation (ginger), anger (horsetail-plant), ego (banyan-tree), deceit (sundew-plant), greed (nitrogenous roots), ESP (tentacle growth of a creeper) and circadian cycle (blooming of lotus).

Plants have only touch as a prominent sense. But, like every other organism, they possess all the other four senses in feeble presence. One can see the examples in life. They all absorb suitable minerals for their growth from the soil and water, and thus perform the function of ‘taste’. When they are covered by smoke of joss essense or frankincense stick they grow healthy; it means they ‘smelt’ the aroma/flavor of the gas. By growing a tentacle forward along the tree or support, the climbers ‘see’ the next appropriate prop direction for their growth. When they ‘hear’ the sound of thundercloud they shed their leaves or flower or even blossom or fruit. Plants also possess leshyas (emotions).

Bhagwan Mahaweer also made a bold statement that the earth, water, air and fire are also living organisms. It is well known that water supports aquatic and marine life. But ‘water itself is living body’ is a revolutionary idea of Jainism. Interestingly, Dr Masaru Emoto (1943-2014) has demonstrated this truth through his experiments reported in his book “Messages from Water”. Margaret Stevenson wrote (1915) in her book “Heart of Jainism” that “Jainism is not only animistic but also hylozoistic.” It means living presence in all matter and matter itself is alive. German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz (1646-1716) had said, “World is composed of atoms of energy that are psychic. These monads (simple entity as an atom or a being) have different levels of consciousness: inorganic (sleeping), animals (dreaming), humans (waking) and pure souls/gods (fully conscious). It says all that Mahaweer taught almost 2250 years before him.

Jain classification of living world is scientific in its own way and therefore original. It is based on the number of sense organs possessed by that organism. There are five senses: touch, taste, smell, see and hear. The evolution of these organisms is by addition of one sense in the order given. Thus, 3-sensed organism will necessarily have first three senses and will be devoid of the last two senses. One very significant axiom of Jainism is: “If an organism has an ear, then it has all the remaining sense organs.” Such a conclusion can’t be drawn from Modern Science theories or classification.

An important classification of 5-sensed living being is: i) organism without mind and ii) organism with mind (human being). It is significant because it distinguishes the beings that can think from those which can’t. This distinction is crucial as it determines that only human beings are capable of attaining emancipation through their hard effort in the form of spiritual practices to get rid of the karmic load by preventing/impeding (sanwar) and shedding (nirjara) of the karma bondage. In births other than a human being, organisms can only experience the fruit of their karma and shed their karma naturally (akam nirjara), not by their own effort/purusharth (sakam nirjara) like the human being.