La Fascination Jaina Pour Lalchimie

SR No.: 269524
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nalini Balbir
Publisher: Nalini Balbir
Total Pages: 17
Language: English
Classification: Article
File Size: 2 MB

Page 16

N. Balbir, La fascination jaina pour l'alchimie
149
Doctrine, il leur faut tout connaitre, les sciences profanes comme les enseignements de la religion; que les unes et les autres sont inséparables; que, en outre, pour guider leurs ouailles, il est nécessaire de sacrifier à leurs goûts: tous arguments utilisés en d'autres occasions. Peut-être gagnaient-ils ainsi eux-mêmes en prestige - et la communauté en fidèles généreux.
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Abréviations et éditions
CDIAL
= R.L. TURNER, A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan
Languages, London 1966 JEĀS
= Journal of the European Ayurvedic Society JOSHI
= DAMODAR JOSHI, Rasaśāstra, Trivandrum 1986 Jp.
= Jonīpāhuda: 88 6ss. Km.
= Kuvalayamala d'Uddyotanasūri: voir JEĀS, 1, 1990. PSM
= Paia-Sadda-Mahannavo Rasaratnasamuccaya = éd. Bombay, samvat 1983 Rasārņava
= ed. by Dr. INDRADEO TRIPATHI, Varanasi 1978 (2ème éd.),
Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office (Haridas Sanskrit Series
88) ROY
= M. ROY - B.V. SUPPARAYAPPA, Rasämavakalpa. New Delhi
1976 Rasendracūdāmaņi = réf. à la traduction et aux glossaires techniques (inédits) que
M. A. Roşu a aimablement mis à ma disposition. SATYAPRAKASH = Dr. SATYAPRAKASH, Prācin bhārat mem rasāyan ka vikas,
Varanasi 1960 (Hindisamiti Granthamālā 43) t.tech.
= terme technique de métallurgie ou d'alchimie.
Summary: In a paper published in the first issue of this Journal, it has been shown how the Jainas were quite well acquainted with the metallurgists' technique and with its corollary, alchemy. As a matter of fact, alchemic episodes are inserted in Jaina novels, following the example set by the Kuvalayamālā (8th cent.). Three more examples are discussed here (8$ 1-3). Further, there are reasons to believe that some Jaina schools or gacchas had a leaning and special interest towards such practices ($ 4). This is the case of Jineśvarasuri (11th cent.), a member of the Candrakula of the Kharataragaccha who discusses the topic in his Kathakośaprakarana and insists on the advantages of dhātuvāda as a technique which enables one to fulfil religious and social duties ($$ 5ff.). In this connection he refers to a text called Jonīpāhuda as his source. The references to this lost work found here and there in Jaina literature ($$ 6-8) seem to be to a sort of imaginary archetype. The only known manuscript of a work bearing this title has apparently nothing to do with these quotations, but also includes a small section on dhātuvāda which is briefly analysed ($ 9).