Q101. How many species of living beings are there?

“jalaja nava lakshani, sthavara laksha-vimshati, krimayo rudra-sankhyakah, pakshinam dasha-lakshanam, trinshal-lakshani pashavah, chatur lakshani manavah” (Padma Purana) The above was written down more than 5000 years ago. This is another unique piece of information from the Vedic scriptures. There are 8.4 million different species or bodies that the soul can reside in. Not all the species are present on this planet and not all the species are manifested all the time. Jalaja (Water based life forms) – 0.9 million Sthavara (Immobile implying plants and trees) – 2.0 million Krimayo (Reptiles) – 1.1 million Pakshinam (Birds) – 1.0 million Pashavah (animals) – 3.0 million Manavah (human-like) – 0.4 million Total 8.4 million species of living beings