Jain Biology: Prajñāpanā Sūtra

The sequence in this scripture as well as that in Uttarādhyayana is very much similar to one another. In both scriptures, the first few sutras deal with inanimate objects. The subject of living organisms is dealt with in sūtra 10 to 41 as under:

1. Siddhātmās (Pure & Perfect Souls) [11]
2. Saṃsārī or Mundane Beings [12 to 41]
   1. Five types of one-sensed organs [13 to 24]
      1. Earth-bodied organisms [14]
      2. Water-bodied organisms [15]
      3. Fire-bodied organisms [16]
      4. Air-bodied organisms [17]
      5. Plants [18 to 24]
         1. with individual bodies [19]
         2. with common bodies [20 to 24]
   2. Two-sensed organisms [25]
   3. Three-sensed organisms [26]
   4. Four-sensed organisms [27]
   5. Five-sensed organisms [28 to 41]
      1. Denizens of hell [29]
      2. Vertebrate animals [30 to 34]
         1. Aquatic animals [31]
         2. Terrestrial animals [32 & 33]
         3. Aerial animals [34]
      3. Human Beings [35 to 38]
      4. Denizens of heaven [41]

It can be easily seen that the sequence adopted here is precisely the same as that adopted in Uttaradhyayana. The emphasis here is on giving more details of classification, viz. names of various classes.