Astronomy and Cosmology

Author(s): L C Jain
Publisher: Rajasthan Prakrit Bharti Sansthan Jaipur

Page 49

Year
I
II
III
IV
V
Calendar of the Jaina School 65
northerly
65.
Sun's
66.
Month &
Tithi
Magha dark 7
Magha
white 4
Māgha dark 1
Māgha dark 13
Māgha white 10
Sun's
Nakşatra
Abhijit
12
39
ور
39
""
""
""
ور
course
Moon's
Nakşatra
Hasta
Śatbhiṣā
Puşya
Mula
Kṛttikā
Sun's
Month & Sun's
Tithi
Srāvana
dark 1
30.
Śrāvaṇa
dark 13
Sravaṇa
white 10
Śrāvana
dark 7
Śravaga white 4
southerly course
Moon's Nakşatra
Abhijita
Nakşatra
Puşya
""
"3
33
39
""
""
"
33
From the above two tables, it is quite clear that the Sun, which was touching the southern most point in the Dhanistha has shifted to some point in the (added twenty eighth) constellation Abhijit. This is the phenomenon of precession of equinoxes, when seasons begin to change, and is of 3600 in 26000 years.
Mrgśira
That is the first point of Aries itself moves at this rate which is approximately 72 years 2 months for every degree of its precession66 towards
Viśākhā
Revati
Pūrvā Phalguni
Cf. C. P. Sūtra 12.5, pp. 536-556. Cf. also. T. P., II, ch. 7, vv. 526-536, pp. 748-749. Precession is said to have been discovered by astronomer Hipparchus (fl. 146-127 B. C.). This is about 50".26 in celestial longitude per year. K. S. Shukla points out the first point of Dhanistha to be 1930 20' east of star zeta-Piscium, when the sun, Moon's conjunction at winter solstice occurred about -1400. He further finds the first point of Abhijit to be 1750 55'10" east of star zeta-Piscium, when the Sun, Moon's conjunction at winter solstice occurred about -146. However, by a process of counting how many times the same themes have been repeated in the various Jaina canonical texts, Jacobi and Schubring concluded that the most ancient portions of the canon were composed during 3rd & 4th centuries [Cf. Renou, L, etal, L' Inde Classique (1953, pp. 616–617. ]