History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 249

THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
direction. Four types of kama are treated in Thana (IV, 4; s. 357), and a detailed exposition of sexual indulgence is given in Thana (s. 116, 122 & 123), Viahapannatti (VII, 7; s. 289), Pannavaṇā (XXXIV) etc.
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Mathematics-In 1923 I was given a Research grant by the University of Bombay to carry on research on "Jaina Mathematics". The various results then arrived at have been dealt with at length by me in the introduction (pp. i-xlvii) to Ganitatilaka1. So I shall here mention only a few points : (i) Viahapanṇatti (s. 90) and Uttarajjhayana (XXV, v. 7, 8 & 38) inform us that knowledge of sankhyāna and jyotisa is one of the main accomplishments of a Jaina saint.
(ii) Geometry is spoken of in Suyagaḍanijjutti (v. 154) as the lotus of Mathematics.
1.
(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. Silanka Suri in his com.2 (p. 9b) to Sūyagaḍanijjutti (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 Gangeya-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.4
3.
4.
(iv) Thāna (X; s. 747) mentions 10 kinds of calculation which are differently interpreted by different scholars.
(v) Thana (II, 4; s. 95), Suriyapanṇatti (VIII, 29; p. 86a), Jambuddivapannatti (s. 18) and Anuogaddara (s. 137) give us
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. 317b) there is mention of Simandharasvamin. He is a Tirthankara living in Mahāvideha kṣetra according to the Jaina belief.
See my introduction (p. xiii) to Ganitatilaka.
Visesā (v. 942-943) gives us a method of working out anānupūrvi, leaving aside purvānupūrvi and paścănupurvi, a subject pertaining to bhangas.