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

Page 14

JANUARY, 1983
91
standarized and the relation between three different types of yojanas is explicitly mentioned in Anuyogadvāra Sūtra, a Jajna canonical work.18 The zodiacal circumfarance was graduated in time-degrees days of a nakșatra month (lunar sideral revolution) and subsequently in timedegrees muhürtas (one muhurta=48 minutes) of a nakşatra month,54900 ganana khandas (celestial parts) (numerically equal to 54900 muhurtas of a five-year cycle), and finally in 360 saura days (a saura day means the time taken by the Sun to traverse 1/360 th part of zodiacal circle).19
2. Cosmography
Jainas had been striving for the scientific formulation of the real world around. They had devised the theory of two Suns and two Moons for certain mysterious calculations. The concept of the mount Meru whose dimensions form a consistent picture, implies Jainian trends towards the motions of certain astronomical constants, mainly that of obliquity of ecliptic. 20
It is worthy of note that the notion that the Moon is eighty yojanas higher than the Sun, has been quite confusing with the notion of vertical height but it actually depicts Jaina notion of calestical latitude of Moon measured as distance-degrees along the surface of earth.21
3. The Science of Sciatherics
Jajnas measured time as a function of shadow-lengths and thus they could determine the time of day directly from the table of shadow
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18 Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1976), 'The Evolution of Measures in Jaina Astro
nomy,' Tirthankar, Vol. 1, Nos. 7-12, pp. 83-92. See also Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D., 'Length-Units in Jaina Astronomy', Jain Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 143-154. Besides Anuyogadvara Sutra is one of the two Culika Sutras which may be taken as appendices to the entire Jaina canon, See Mehta, M. L. (1969), Jaina Culture, p. 29. For more details see f.n. No. 14. Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D., 'Zodiacal Circumference as Graduated in Jaina Astronomy', Paper presented at 4th Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of India, held at Ootacamund (March, 1978), Indian Journal of History of Science,
Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 1-15. 20 Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1978), 'Notion of Obliquity of Ecliptic Implied
in the Concept of Mount Meru in Jambudvipa Prajnapti', Jain Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 79-92. Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1976), 'Latitude of the Moon as determined in Jaina Astronomy', Sramana, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 28-35 (Journal of P. V. Research Institute, Varanasi).
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