Jain Journal 1987 01

SR No.: 520085
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 1987
Total Pages: 40
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 3 MB

Page 29

Main Characteristics and Achievements of Jaina School of Ancient
Indian Astronomy
S. S. LISHK
Abstract
Jaina school of astronomy belonged to dark period (post-Vedanga pre-Siddhantic period) in the history of ancient Indian astronomy. Due to lack of scientific inquiry into this field, some of the Western scholars hold an opinion that ancient Indian astronomy owe its origin to Greece and Mesopotamia. Here an attempt has been made to show that Jaina school of astronomy has to its credit certain peculiar achievements which have hitherto remained untraced elsewhere except fragmentarily in contemporary Indian literature. Some unique developments in Jaina astronomical period include notions of declination, celestial latitude and obliquity of ecliptic, method of measurement of celestial distances projected over the surface of the earth, systems of units of time length and arc division, the use of shadow lengths for the determination of seasons and time of the day elapsed at any instant etc. An exhaustive study of Jaina school of astronomy paves the way for the development of Siddhantic astronomy in India. Besides, some unique achievements being quite independent of any foreign influence may be attributed to the native scholars unknown as yet in the history of astronomy.
Theory
Certain peculiar achievements of Jaina School of astronomy are mentioned as under :
1. Units of Measurement
(a) Time-units
In Atharva Veda Jyotişa, there exists an unique thirty-fold division system of time-units which may conveniently be called as 'trigesimal
1 (a) Lishk, S. S. and Sharma, S. D. (1977), "Role of Pre-Aryabhatta
School of Astronomy in the Development of Siddhantic Astronomy", IJHS,
Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 106-113, INSA, New Delhi. (b) See also Lishk, S. S. (1985), Jaina Astronomy, Sumati Sahitya Sadan, Delhi,