Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s16.142

v1.c3.s16.142

Living things are occasionally classified according to their mode of origin. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad³ they are divided into (a) āṇḍa-ja, ‘egg-born’; (b) jīva-ja, ‘born alive,’ or born from the womb; (c) udbhij-ja, ‘propagated by sprouts.’ In the Aitareya Āraṇyaka⁴ the division is fourfold: (a) āṇḍa-ja; (b) jāru-ja, that is, jarāyu-ja (found in the Atharvaveda,⁵ and needlessly read here by Böhtlingk⁶); (c) udbhij-ja; and (d) sveda-ja, ‘sweat-born,’ explained as ‘insects.’