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गणिनी आर्यिकारत्न श्री ज्ञानमती अभिवन्दन ग्रन्थ
[४२९
JAINA BHUGOLA (जैन भूगोल)
Dei SS. LIS
Deptt. of Maths, Govt. In-Service Teacher Training Centre,
Patiala (Pb.) India.
Service Tem
Jaina Bhugola (Jaina Geography) is the sixtysecond presentation of 'Veer Jnanodya Granthamala' which undertakes the publication of Digamber jain texts both in original and translation with commentary as well in several languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada and Marathi etc. These works are often related to the field of spiritualism, geography, astronomy, and grammer etc. However sometimes booklets are published for the benefit of layman also. The present volume is a unique contribution of Her Holiness Arvikaratna Jnanamati Mataji in highlighting the role of Jainacharyas in understanding the geographical structure of this earthly planet. The learned editor of the Granthamala, Sri Ravinder Kumar Jain has rightly observed in Prakasakiya (Publisher's note) that Jainacharyas, through their intuitive powers had made an absolutely objective study which is yet to be properly decoded by modern scientists. It is indeed the sublime knowledge of Pujya Mataji who has authored a long list of works in this field as evident from brief sketch of her life penned by Sri Moti Chand Jain, one of the editors of the granthamala.
Prastavana (foreword) by Kumari Madhuri Shastri (At Present-Aryika Sri Chandanamatiji) has added a glamour to the book as it serves a food for thought for the reader to make an earnest attempt to delve deep into the secrets of Jaina Bhugola based on the works like Tiloya Pannatti, Trilokasara. Lokavibhaga. Slokavartika, Jambudvipa Pannatti etc., belonging to karananuyoga, one of the four divisions of Jaina classical literature. There are three lokas, viz. adholoka, madhyaloka and urdhvaloka occupying 343 cubical raju. The measure of Madhyaloka is one raju only. Madhyaloka includes Jambudvipa (an isle of Jamby tree) measuring one lac yojanas. Further 190th part of Jambudvipa is called Aryakhanda which comprises the whole world around us. Evidently, the modern scholars study the geography of Aryakhanda only. There lies a world even beyond the stars which only the Jainacharyas could perceive through their celestial intuitive faculty of mind.
Pujya Mataji has successfully synthesizd the diverse texts and developed a comprehensive view of geographical knowledge of the universe under the title of Jaina Bhugola'. It comprises of eight chapters viz. Jambudvipa, Bharataksetra, Aryakhanda, Lavanasamudra, Madhyloka, Nandisvaradvipa, Teena loka and Dimensions of mounts in Jambudvipa. In every chapter, there is geographical description of rivers and mounts etc. coupled with mathematical ddata regarding their measurements. The whole is not a mere concidence but it represents a unique picture with mathematically precise modelling. The nomenclature of the rivers, mounts and dvipas (islands) presents a very fascinating picture which appears to be highly sophisticated so far as the question of mathematical consistency is concerned. One wonders that there are sixteen dvipas and the first two and a half dvipas viz. Jambudvipa, Dhatakikhanda dvipa and a half of puskaravara dvipa form the abode of the human species. It is worth-mentioning that the modern scientists have been conceiving the existence of human species elsewhere in the cosmos but they have not as yet reached the lands of Dhatakikhanda dvipa and a half of Puskaravara dvipa wherein human species reside as enunciated by the learned Jainacharyas. To our surprise, we have discovered millions of glaxies and we know not at present that which glaxy of this known set of glaxies or of some other set of glasxies yet to be discovered may prove to be the Dhatakikhandadvipa of Jainacharyas. Everyone knows that Jainacharyas had predicted life in plants many centuries before C.V. Raman won Nobel Prize on merely rediscovering the same fact with the help of modem instruments. Scientific knowledge is all tentative and always subject to change and modification. A superstition of yesterday becomes a hard fact of science of today. A mere ignorance of a fact is no proof for its denial.
Besides, the modem scientists hold different views about the cosmos whether it is limited or unlimited. The bigbang theory holds a prominent place. Many scholars are of the view that the universe is ever expanding and the rate of recession of a glaxy is proportional to its distance from the earth. The constant of prop
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