History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

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A HISTORY OF THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
then arrived at have been dealt with at length by me in the intro. (pp. i-xlvii) to Ganitatilaka. So I shall here mention only a few points :
(i) Viāhapannatti (s. 90) and Uttarajjhayana (XXV, v. 7, 8 & 38) inform us that knowledge of Sarkhyāna and jyotisa is one of the main accomplishments of a Jaina saint.
(ii) Geometry is spoken of in Süyagadanijjutti (v. 154) as the lotus of Mathematics.
(iii) Bhangas are likely to remind a student of Mathematics of 'Permutations and Combinations'. They are mentioned in Thāna (X; s. 716), and their two varieties are noted and explained by Abhayadeva Sūri in his com. (p. 478b) to this Anga. Sīlāňka Sūri in his com.2 (p. 90) to Sūyagadanijjutti (v. 28) has given us 3 verses3 which supply us with 3 rules. The first verse enables us to determine the total number of transpositions which can be made when a specific number of things is given, whereas the other two help us in finding the actual spread of representation. The problem known as Gāngeya-bhanga and treated in Viahapannatti (IX; s. 372-374) may be specially mentioned as one of the typical problems connected with this branch of Mathematics.
(iv) Thāņa (X; s. 747) mentions 10 kinds of calculation which are differently interpreted by different scholars.
(v) Thāņa (II, 4; s. 95), Sūriyapannatti (VIII, 29; p. 864), Jambuddivapannatti (s. 18) and Anuogaddāra (s. 137) give us names of notational places, the last being Sisapaheliyā which stands for (84 lacs) 28 years, but which according to Joisakarandaga (v. 64-71) stands for (84 lacs) 36 years.
(vi) Uttarajjhayana (XXX, v. 10, 11) furnishes us with the names of powers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12, whereas Anuogaddāra (s. 142) deals with successive squares and square-roots.
(vii) 21 kinds of numbers are treated in Anuogaddāra (s. 146). In this connection Dr. Bibhutibhusan Dattas says :
1. This is edited by me with the com. of Simhatilaka Sūri, and it is published in
Gaekwad's Oriental Series as No. LXXVIII. 2. In this com. (p. 3175) there is mention of Sīmandharasvamin. He is a Tirthankara living
in Mahāvideha kşetra according to the Jaina belief. 3. See my intro. (p. xiii) to Ganitatilaka. 4. Visesa (v. 942-943) gives us a method of working out anānūpūrvi, leaving aside
pürvānupūrvi and paścānupūrvi, a subject pertaining to bhangas.