Dr. N.L. Kachhara
How does life begin on a new planet? Modern science has not yet found a generally accepted answer to this crucial problem. Jainism offers an explanation. According to Jainism, a class of microorganism (nigoda) assumed to be much smaller than viruses is present all over the loka. The three bodies, gross, karman and fiery, of these sub-microorganisms are supposed to be made of the same subtle matter. Being a subtle body, this must be a non-genetic structure. These sub-microorganisms do not need oxygen to live and are present on the new planet. Their karman body contains the plans for constructing a gross body provided the availability of suitable material and appropriate conditions for development. The gross body is formed spontaneously by the asexual process of agglutination (sammurchhana). It is possible that the success rate of this process is low, and a body is produced only after several attempts.
Jainism describes in detail the nature of the code in the form of karma contained in the karman body, which has all the instructions to construct a body of a particular species. Modern science tells us that a DNA structure made of nucleotides is essential to produce a cell. It is also known that nucleotides can be produced naturally under favourable conditions, but that larger structures like DNA are not produced in this manner. The nucleotides provide suitable material for the sub-microorganisms. Using their intelligence and the karman code, they can assemble this available matter to produce the required DNA structure. DNA is the brick from which the cell is produced, as per the plan contained in the karma body. It is obvious that the simplest form of DNA and therefore a preliminary life form was produced in the beginning. Viruses, bacteria and archea are expected to be first-level life forms. These organisms have only one sense, touch (through the skin), by which they interact with the external world. Thus, life begins on a new planet like Earth when conditions and time are favorable for the intelligent creation of microorganisms by the agglutination process.
