Astronomy and Cosmology

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

Page 70

2. TYPES OF ANGULAS
In the Jaina School, or even elsewhere, a yojana is equivalent to 768000 angulas. 112 But, it is only in this school that yojana depends on three patterns of angula which are used for measuring different types of objects. The three different kinds of the angulas113; ātmāngula, utsedhāngula, and pramāņāngula. The Śvetāmbara School takes 1000 utsedha angulas equal to one pramāņa angula whereas the Digambara School mentions 500 utsedha angula as equivalent to one pramāņāngula. The Buddhist 1 angnli-parva is equal to 2 angulas of the Jainas. According to this correspondence a yojana is equal to 8 miles, and the corresponding Svetambara pramāņa yojana is equal to 8000 miles, but the Digambara pramāņa yojana is equal to 4000 miles.
The utsedhangula is accomplished by definition and called a sūcyangula (linear finger width). This is used to measure the heights of subhuman, and hellish bodies, as well as the residence and cities etc. of four types of gods. Pramānāngula is used to measure the regions, the islands, oceans, mountains, altars, rivers, ponds and tanks etc. The atmängula depends upon the region and time and the human beings corresponding to them, and is used to enumerate ornamental objects (jhāri, kalaśa, darpaņa, etc.) as well as gardens, cities and residence ch. of human beings.114
3. EVOLUTION OF YOJANA
Yojana appears in Suryasiddhanta, and is used for class-measures of the planets etc. 115 Dixit opines that according to vacaspati and Šabdārņava kosas, a yojana may be taken to be 16000 hands or 5 miles. The Chinese traveller Hiven-Thsang found out that a yojana, equivalent to 30 li could be equal to 6-12 miles. He also mentioned a yojana equal to 40
112. A very illustrative article on "The Evolution of Measures in Jaina Astronomy" by Lishk and Sharma in, Tirthankara vol 1 nos. 7-12, 1975, 73-92, may be seen.
113. Cf. G. A., T. P. II, T. S. A comperative study has been given by Muni Mahendra Kumar, II, pp. 233, et. seq.
114. Cf. T. P., II, 7-107-113. For details of the Svetambara school, cf. G. A., pp. 448, 449, 450.
115. Cf. Dixit, p. 420. According to him, in many texts, a yojana is equal to 32000 hands. Taking a hand equal to 19-8 inches, a yojana is 10 miles which comes in contradiction to diameter of the earth. According to Megasthenes (-302 to -293) a yojana was equal to 96000 angulas.
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