________________
INTRODUCTION
2
-the arts wherein arithmetic occupies a place next1 only to writing. Moreover, with His left hand He taught arithmetic to His daughter Sundari.
(3) The fact mentioned in Kalpasūtra (sutra 9, S. B. E. vol. XXII, p. 221) that Lord Mahāvīra, the 24th Tirthankara was to be well-grounded in arithmetic as implied by one of the fourteen dreams seen by Devananda, the wife of Rṣabhadatta has led some scholars to infer that the Jainas hereby attribute to their last Tirthankara, the sound knowledge of sciences like Mathematics.
VII
(4) Mahavirācārya offers his salutation to Lord Mahāvīra by eulogizing Him as "sankhyājñānapradipena".
(5) Gania (Sk. Ganita) is referred to as mithyāsr'uta in Nandisutra (sūtra 42) and as laukika āgama in Anuyogadvāra. sūtra (sūtra 144). All the same it should not be forgotten that its proficiency is considered as one of the qualifications of an ācārya as could be seen from Acārānganiryukti (v. 50)3.
THE JAINA WORKS ON MATHEMATICS
It is not possible to give a complete list of all the Jaina works dealing with Mathematics. Here an attempt is made to point out those which are extant, and also to indicate those, the existence of which is inferable from other sources.
Suryaprajñapti and Candraprajñapti are the two astronomical works, which have survived till the present day. They come under the class of the twelve upangas, and are respectively associated with Bhagavati and Upasakadas'a (the seventh anga) respectively.
1. In the Buddhistic canonical literature arithmetic is given the first place, and is looked upon as one of the noblest arts. See Vinayapitaka, (ed. by Oldenberg, vol. IV, p. 7), Majjhimanikāya (vol. I, p. 85) and Cullaniddessa, (p. 199).
2. See Kalpasutra, Sutra 211.
3. This runs as under:
Jain Education International
"गणियं णिमित्त जुत्ती संदिट्ठी अवितहं इमं णाणं । इय एतमुवगया गुणपच्चाइय इमे अत्था ॥ ५० ॥"
4. Astronomical information can be gathered from other scriptures as well.
For instance the following sutras of Samavaya may be consulted:
59-62, 67, 71, 78-80, 82, 88, 93, 98, 99 etc.
5. See Prameyaratnamañjūṣā (p. 1).
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
