Life Science and Jainism

Summary

Dr. Rajjan Kumar’s article “Life Science and Jainism” explores how Jain metaphysics and biology conceptualise life and contrast with modern scientific understandings. He begins by listing the seven fundamental categories (tattvas) that frame Jain philosophy: jiva (living), ajiva (non‑living), asrava (influx of karmic matter), bandha (bondage of the soul by karma), samvara (stoppage of influx), nirjara (removal of karmic matter) and moksha (liberation). Among these, only jiva and ajiva concern the nature of the universe; the other five describe stages in the interaction of soul and matter. Kumar examines the interplay of these two fundamentals, explaining how asrava, bandha, samvara, nirjara and moksha describe the journey of the soul through bondage and liberation. He then discusses how Jain biology distinguishes living beings (jivas) from non‑living matter (ajiva). While the soul is non‑material, it is bound to a material body through karmic particles that determine species, lifespan, status and sensory capabilities. Modern biology defines life through properties like organization, metabolism, growth, irritability and reproduction; Jain teachers supplement this with uniquely spiritual functions such as respiration, instinct, speech, passion, senses, psychic conditions and feelings. Kumar outlines the Jain classification of organisms into one‑sensed, two‑sensed, three‑sensed, four‑sensed and five‑sensed beings, noting that even plants are considered living because they possess at least one sense and a vital force (prana). The article devotes considerable attention to the Jain concepts of paryapti (vital force) and prana (life forces). There are six kinds of paryapti — ahara (assimilation of food), sarira (physical development), indriya (development of senses), ucchavasa (respiration), bhasha (speech) and manah (mind) — which collectively enable the soul to manifest through the body. Jiva that fully develops these capacities is called paryaptaka; those that have not yet done so are called aparyaptaka. Prana are ten life forces: five corresponding to the senses and five governing respiration, longevity, speech, thought and bodily movement. Kumar explains how the number and quality of pranas vary among organisms; one‑sensed beings possess four pranas, while five‑sensed beings possess all ten. These distinctions highlight the graded nature of consciousness and the moral significance Jainism attaches to even the smallest forms of life. In later sections Kumar integrates Jain theories of metabolism and physiology with ancient Indian medicine. He describes how the seven dhatus (rasa/chyle, asrg/blood, mamsa/flesh, meda/fat, asthi/bone, majja/marrow and sukra/semen) constitute the material basis of life. He narrates how food is transformed into chyle, then into blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen through a series of transformations driven by bio‑motor forces, metabolic heats and vital energies. The interplay between prana and paryapti sustains these processes, enabling homeostasis and growth. Throughout, Kumar contrasts Jain perspectives with modern science, arguing that while biology explains life through chemistry and physiology, Jainism attributes an autonomous role to the soul and its karmic energy. The article concludes that Jain bio‑ethics and metaphysics provide a holistic understanding of life that complements but transcends mechanistic explanations, urging respect for all forms of life and mindful stewardship of one’s own karmic destiny.