Jain Journal 1983 01

SR No.: 520069
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 1983
Total Pages: 36
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 2 MB

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JAIN JOURNAL
century A.D.). This gap commonly known as a dark period13 hitherto remained as a forgotten chapter in the history of ancient Indian astronomy. There lies a vast treasure of astronomical knowledge embodied in Jaina Prakrit texts like Surya Prajñapti and Jambūdvipa Prajñapti etc. forming Jajna canon of sacred literature14 belonging to dark period in the history of ancient Indian astronomy. In his lecture at Oklahama University, S. D. Sharma had stressed upon the need for research into this field, and it was his first Ph.D. student S. S. Lishk who analysed mathematically the astronomical data extant in Jaina canonical literature in his doctoral thesis, 16 which was awarded an outstanding merit by scholars of the calibre of Hideo Hirose (Japan), W. Petri (Germany) and M. L. Sharma (Varanasi, India). The author collected relevant data on certain topics from various texts (in chronological order) and then attempted to analyse to have a perspective view. A preconceived chronology has been disregarded unlike Kuglar who was one of the PanBabylonistic school and created a fantastic picture by ascribing everything to Babylon.16
It is worth-mentioning that the post-Vedānga pre-Siddhāntic astronomical literature comprises of Jaina canonical texts, Buddhistic canonical texts and Hindu works like Purānas, Smstis and the Sanhitās including Bhadrabāhu Sarhitā (a Jaina work) etc. etc. We have so far been concentrating our efforts on analysing the Jaina cononical texts and thus our findings elucidate particularly the salient features of preAryabhattian Jaina School of astronomy. Some peculiarities are given as below :
1. Units
There had been a great diversity of systems of units of time, length and arc-division at different times in different parts of ancient India. Trigesimal system (Thirty-fold divisions system) was gradually changed into sexagesimal system of time-units.17 The length of a yojana was
Sharma, M. L. (1974), 'Development of Indian Astronomy', Proceedings of Summer School on History of Science, INSA, New Delhi. See also, Chatterjee, Bina (1974), 'History of Indian Mathematics', Proceedings of Summer School on History of Science, op. cit. See Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1978), 'Sources of Jaina Astronomy', The Jaina Antiquary, Vol. 29, No. 1-2, pp. 19-32 Lishk, S. S. (Feb. 1978), Mathematical Analysis of Post-Vedanga Pre-Siddhantic Data in Jaina Astronomy, Ph.D. thesis, Punjabi University, Patiala (Consult University Library). Neugebauer, Otto (1952), The Exact Sciences in Antiquity, p. 132. Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1977), 'Time-Units in Ancient Indian Astronomy', Tulsi Prajna, Vol. 2 Nos. 7-8, pp. 100-108.
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