Answer

In the Bhagavati Sutra, when substances like rice, udad, etc. are described as changing from plant-bodied life to fire-bodied life after processes such as pounding, grinding, cooking, heating, or mechanical transformation, Bhagwan Mahavir is explaining the Jain doctrine of pariṇāma — transformation or modification.

He is not saying that the same soul “evolves” from plant-body into fire-body in a modern biological sense. Rather, he is explaining that dravya — matter/substance — undergoes changes in form, condition, and life-association according to causes and conditions.

So “pariṇāma-vāda” here means the doctrine that things undergo transformation, not Darwinian evolution.

Explanation

In Jain philosophy, every worldly substance has:

• Dravya — substance
• Guṇa — qualities
• Paryāya — changing modes or states

A grain such as rice or udad, while alive in its natural condition, may be associated with vanaspati-kāya jīvas — plant-bodied beings.

But when it is:

• pounded,
• ground,
• heated,
• cooked,
• roasted,
• fermented,
• or otherwise transformed,

its previous state is destroyed or altered, and another condition arises. In Jain thought, fire-bodied beings, air-bodied beings, water-bodied beings, earth-bodied beings, and plant-bodied beings are all forms of one-sensed life. The scripture is showing that life-forms and material bodies are deeply connected with changing physical conditions.

Thus, what is called “fire-bodied” in such contexts usually relates to transformation through heat, energy, combustion, ripening, or fiery processes. The original plant-bodied condition no longer remains in the same way.

What Bhagwan is Teaching

Bhagwan Mahavir is teaching that:

• The world is not static.
• Material forms continuously change.
• Living bodies arise and perish according to conditions.
• One should understand subtle life with great care.
• Violence is not limited only to visible animals; it can involve very subtle one-sensed beings too.

This teaching increases awareness of ahiṃsā. It helps a seeker understand that even ordinary acts like grinding, cooking, or processing food involve transformation and possible injury to subtle life-forms.

About “Pariṇāma-vāda”

Pariṇāma means change, modification, transformation, or alteration of state.

So pariṇāma-vāda in this Jain context means:

• the doctrine of transformation,
• the view that substances change their modes,
• the teaching that worldly things exist through continuous modification.

It should not be understood as “evolutionism” in the modern scientific sense where species evolve biologically over long periods through natural selection.

A more accurate translation would be:

• Doctrine of transformation
• Theory of modification
• Principle of changing modes

rather than “theory of evolutionism.”

Spiritual Understanding

The deeper message is not merely about rice or udad. Bhagwan is guiding us to see that:

• Every material thing is constantly changing.
• Life exists in very subtle forms.
• Carelessness causes harm.
• A spiritual person should live with awareness, restraint, and compassion.

For monks and nuns, this teaching supports very strict rules regarding food, fire, water, plants, and movement. For householders, it teaches mindfulness and reduction of unnecessary violence.

Takeaway

The passage is not teaching modern biological evolution. It is teaching Jain pariṇāma-vāda: substances and embodied conditions continually transform. Rice, udad, and similar substances are described as changing because their physical state and life-association change through processing, grinding, heating, or cooking.

Bhagwan Mahavir’s purpose is to awaken subtle awareness of life, transformation, and ahiṃsā.