The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c9.19

c9.19

§106. The concrete plants, acc. to Pannav. 30a ff. (in prose and nearly 100 Gāhās), fall into individual plants (*patteya-sarīra*) and group plants (*sāhāraṇa-s*. Viy. 762a), the latter a.o. lichens and mosses, without any subdivisions, but very rich in variety. The more highly developed individual plants are divided twelve-fold acc. to their habit into trees, bushes, shrubs, creepers, grasses, etc. Trees are subdivided into two groups, the mono-kernels (*eɡ'aṭṭhiya*) and the multi-kernels (*bahu-biyaya*). On grasses (*taṇa*) it has been observed that they bear seeds at the top, at the roots, at the stalk, and at other places (Dasav. 4, introd., Ṭhāṇ. 186b, 322b, 354b). The five classes of *rukkha*, *ajjhāroha*, *taṇa*, *osahi*, and *hariya* (Sūy. II, 3) joined by a sixth bearing no name of its own, look older than the duodecimal classification. Both classifications are now crossed by one classifying according to the number of souls within a plant. With its quality to have more than one soul the plant stands alone in the realm of living beings¹. The seats of these souls are the roots, the bulb (*kanda*), the stem, the bark, the branches (*sālā*), the twigs (*pavāla*), the leaves, blossoms, fruits and seeds (*mūlā mūla-jīva-phuḍā* etc. Viy. 300a). Acc to Sūy. this refers to the five classes mentioned above, acc. to Pannav. to the trees, acc. to Ṭhāṇ 520b to the *taṇa*. The taking in of matter and its transubstantiation starts (Viy. 300a) with the souls of the roots which are near to the souls of the earth (*paḍi-baddha*) from whom they take what substance they need. From there it is taken by these of the bulb, from here by those of the stem, a. s. o. As to this theory concerning the growth of plants (the text of which suggests the wrong conclusion that the resp. former were decaying in favour of the resp. succeeding ones) it may be pointed out that this growth decreases in proportion to the sequence of the starting of the rainy season—the main rainy season²—autumn—winter—spring—, and summer. The opposing vital force which manifests itself in the general bloom is explained acc. to § 94-. ³ Now, the number of the souls in trees is either x, ¿ or ∞ (Viy. 364a; Ṭhāṇ. 122b), the quantity of ¿ pertaining to the roots, etc., whereas the first pertains to the blossoms (Pannav. 31a) and one to each leaf. ∞ souls are attributed (acc. to Viy. 300 a) to a number of certain specified plants. The *uppala* and other plants are discussed by Viy. 508 b ff., while Viy. 800 a deals with useful plants for the most part. Pannav. gives many details especially of the *sāhāraṇā-sarira*.