14 Marganas : 3. Kaya Margana

Kaya Margana represents the forms of bodies of the Jivas which are primarily two types : 
1. Sthavar  2. Trasa   The Sthavar Jivas are considered to remain stationary in spite of presence of danger while Trasa would tend to run away from danger. However the distinction of two is based upon the fruition of naam karmas of the corresponding types. The Sthavar themselves are of five types therefore the Kayas are described to be of the six types :

                 1. Prithvikaya ( earth body)  2. Jalakaya ( water body)  3. Agni Kaya ( fire body)

  4. Vayu Kaya (airbody )  5. Vanaspatikaya ( vegetable body)  6. Trasa Kaya

The five Sthavar types of Jivas are subdivided into two categories  1. Sookshma  ( small )  2. Badar (Big)

Although they are called small and big but in reality some of the sookshma Jivas are larger in size than Badar Jivas. Therefore they are nor truly divided based on size but by the capability to transit through obstructions. The Sookshma Jivas can move through space without any hindrance of any kind while badar jivas can be blocked by material obstruction. Besides the Sookshma Jivas would have fruition of Sookshma Naam karma while Badar Jivas would have fruition of Badar Naam karma. Thus the Naam karma decides the type of body a Jiva would acquire in a particular birth. Both Sthavar and Trasa Jivas have two more categories each i.e. Paryapta ( complete) and Aparyapta ( Incomplete) which is also based upon the naam karma bound by the Jiva. As name indicates , a Paryapta  Jiva completely forms his body in less than Antarmuhurta while an Aparyapta Jiva does not complete his body formation and dies in less than Antarmuhurta.

1.       Prithvikayik  Jivas :  As the name describes earth is their body. Although it may appear not believable but earth itself supports innumerable Jivas. After all scientists were looking  for presence of life on Mars by analyzing the earth sample only. On our earth such Jivas are in abundance particularly in mines which houses different types of minerals including gold and diamonds. In this context it is worth knowing three variety of Prithvi kaya jivas. One is the Jiva who is undergoing transmigration from previous body (say human) to the new body of Prithvikayik Jiva. The transmigration journey may last upto 3 samay of time and this migration is called Vigrah Gati. During this period the new body has not been acquired and the Jiva comprises of its soul accompanied with Karmana and Tejas Sharir(body). The Karmana sharir comprises of karma particles and the Tejas sharir is a sort of aura which helps to bind the karmana sharir to the Jiva. It is the karma particles whose fruition would decide the various features of the Jiva in a birth such as body, knowledge, vision, attachments and so on. In the case where Jiva is going the acquire Prithvikayik sharir. Since the body has not been acquired yet, the Jiva  in vigrah gati ( migration) is called Prithvi JIva since he does not have body yet.

After migration the Jiva acquires the body in form of the earth and then he called Prithvikayik Jiva. Lastly after death the Jiva leaves the body and goes to take birth elsewhere. At that time the body remains but there is no Jiva. Such earth  is known as Prthivikaya .

Besides this the Prithvikayik Jivas are of the two types namely Badar and sookshma which have the nature as described before.

The three variety  of Jivas described here are also applicable to Jalakayik, Vayukayik and Agnikayik  Jivas also.

The physical size of the Prithvikayik Jivas is very small which described as innumerable part of the Ghanangula ( cube of a finger).Therefore no wonder they are not visible to us even through strongest microscopes. Just as omniscient had described the vegetable as Jiva form long before the scientists confirmed them, we have to accept these forms also. That is why Jain scriptures do not recommend even house holders to indulge in unnecessary digging of earth since it results in violence against the Prithvikayik Jivas. The age of Prithvikayik Jiva can be a maximum of 12000 years for the soft earth while it is 22000 years for the hard earth. For an aparyapta Jiva it is always less than antarmuhurta irrespective of the  trasa or sthavar category.

2.       Jalakayik Jivas:  These are Jivas not immersed in water but those whose body itself is that of water drops of very fine size. Here also three forms are Jala Jiva, Jalakayik and Jalakaya which correspond to Jiva in vigrah gati, in body form and the body alone without Jiva. For protection of these Jivas, Jains always used a cloth filter while pouring water. Further they used to safely return the unfiltered water back to the source from which it came. The age of Jalakayik Jiva can be a maximum of 7000 years.

3.       Agni Kayik Jivas : It may be hard to believe but there are Jivas whose body itself is fire. These are very small jivas not visible to us and can have a maximum age of 3 days. It may be recalled that science believes that there was a period when earth was barren without Jivas and the Jivas were captured by its atmosphere from the plumes of comets travelling close to earth. One can imagine the conditions of the plume and the travelling environments. Hence these Jivas definitely survived very harsh temperatures and other conditions. It establishes that there could be Jivas who may be living under those harsh conditions. Agnikayik Jivas could be one of them.

4.       Vayu Kayik Jivas : These are Jivas for whom air itself is the body. The maximum age of these is 3000 years.

The numbers of these four types of Jivas are very large i.e. innumerable. If a Jiva takes birth in these four categories of Jivas , then he can take as much as innumerable Loka Praman period to take birth as any other category. Here Lok Praman refers to the volume of the universe measures in terms of space elements called Pradesh. The number of Pradesh in the Loka ( universe) is innumerable, and this term is now used to denote time in the form of samay. An innumerable number of Lokas in terms of samay could be spent for the Jiva to take any other birth.

Another aspect of agnikayik and vayukayik Jivas is that if they take birth in these form then they cannot take birth as human from directly from these since they do not bind manushya ayu. They can only take birth as tiryanch of other category and then take human birth later.

5.       Vanaspatikayik Jivas: These are Jivas for whom the vegetables form the body. It is suggested to take a look at the article on Nigod Jiva where in the vegetable Jivas are described in detail. Vegetables are of two types Pratyek and Sadharan. The Pratyek Jivas are owners of their body and are all Badar only. They may be Pratishthit i.e. support Nigod Jivas or Apratishthit who do not support Nigod Jivas. The Nigod Jivas are infinite Jivas sharing the same body and may be badar or sookshma. The Sadharan vegetables can support Nigod Jivas of badar and sookshma type directly. The chart below shows the various types of vanaspatikayik jivas.

The bodies of the Nigod Jivas are also known as Nigod sharir which are innumerable in numbers and the number of Nigod Jivas supported on them are infinitely infinite. These bodies are such that one lot of Nigod Jivas would be born in them and they would die and depart together and then second lot would come and occupy the same and so on. All Nigod jivas  are born with fruition of sadharan naam karma which may be badar or sookshma and each of them are paryapta and aparyapta. Maximum age of vanaspatikayik pratyek paryapta jiva is 10000 years. While aparyapta would live antarmuhurta only. If a jiva takes birth as vanaspatikayik , then it can take innumerable pudgala paravartan period to come out of it which is infinitely infinite period. Even as a Nigod Jiva he may take two and a half pudgala paravartan period to change to other type of birth ( This does not include Nitya Nigod jivas).

6.       Trasakayaik Jivas :  This includes all Jivas from 2 sensed to 5 sensed. The 2-4 sensed Jivas are also called Vikalendriya ( without all senses) which include a variety of shells, insects, wasps etc. The five sensed Jivas would include all humans, devas and narakis besides animals with 5 senses. All the Jivas are badar and they do not have sookshma category in them. However they can be paryapta ( with complete body) or aparyapta ( without complete body). The life span of aparyapta is limited to anatarmuhurta only. For paryapta jivas the life span varies. For two senses it is 12 years, for 3 senses it is 49 days and for four sensed Jiva it is 6 months only. In five sensed Jivas both Devas and Narkis have a maximum life span of 33 sagar possible. For five sensed Tiryanch and Humans the maximum age can be 1 poorva koti in Karma bhoomi while it can be upto 3 Palyopam in Bhoga Bhoomi.

Once a Jiva takes birth in Trasakayik form , the maximum period he can be in this form going  from  deva to narki , humans and tiryanch etc can be little more than 2000 sagar only after which necessarily he takes birth as single sensed Jiva and it may take infinite period for him to take birth as Trasakayik jiva again.

All Sthavar Jivas are Mithyadrishti and Neutral Gender. In Trasakayik Jivas the Vikalendriyas of 2-4 senses are also Mithyadrishti and Neutral gender. In Panchendriyas the Devas and Narakis can reach upto 4^th Gunasthana of Avirat Samyak Darshan. The 5 sensed Tiryanch Jivas can reach upto 5^th Gunasthana of VirataVirat samyak darshan. It is in human birth only Jivas can reach all the 14 Gunasthanas and attain Moksha also.

Thus we see how difficult it is to get Trasakayik form and even in that human birth is extremely rare , which is essential to attain salvation. Therefore the Acharyas preach us to utilize the present birth wisely and effectively since we never know if it would be our last.