History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 250

COMPARISON AND EVALUATION
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names of notational places, the last being Sisapaheliyā which stands for (84 lacs) 28 years, but which according to
Joïsakarandaga (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 Aņuogaddāra (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 Datta says: "It will be noticed that in the classification of numbers stated above, there is an attempt to define numbers beyond Alef-zero.... The fact that an attempt was made in India to define such numbers as early as the first century before the Christian era, speaks highly of the speculative faculties of the ancient Jaina mathematicians."-The Jaind School of Mathematics (p. 142) published in "The Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society (Vol. XXI, No. 2, 1929). (viii) Anuogaddāra (s. 131) supplies us with various tables of
measurement which can be compared with those given in Kautilya's Arthaśāstra and elsewhere. Further, these tables
incidentally throw light on the history of Magadha. (ix) Viāhapannatti (XXV, 3; s. 724-726), Aņuogaddāra (s. 123 & 144)
and Suriyapannatti (s. 11, 25 & 100) supply us with names of
several geometrical figures, plane and solid as well. (x) Viahapannatti (s. 91), Jīvājīvābhigama (s. 82 & 109) and
Sūriyapannatti (s. 20) furnish us with values of it. (xi) Sūriyapannattil and Joïsakarandaga? supply us with astronomical
knowledge. Prof. Weber observes : “That not only do the astronomical works of Jainas furnish information about the conceptions of a religious sect but may, if rightly investigated, yield valuable metarial for the general history of Indian ideas.'3 (xii) Visesão (v. 351-372) provides us with a chapter on sound
(accoustics) and Pannavanā, with that of light (optics) - subjects
coming under the class of Applied Mathematics. 1-2. These two works along with Lokaprakāśa (pt. IV) were found very useful in
understanding the knotty points of Vedānga-jyotişa. So says Mr. B. L. Kulkarni in his article entitled “faefha fet EHHH atgh24 46 3 340 HST 1934at"
and published in Jaina satyaprakāśa (vol. VI, No. 11, pp. 418-420). 3. See “Sacred Literature of the Jainas” (I, p. 372 and II, p. 574 ff.), and 'Indian
Antiquary (XXI, p. 14 ff.)