Indian Antiquary Vol 21

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 21

JANUARY, 1892.)
SACRED LITERATURE OF THE JAINS.
15
based, therefore, upon the rectification of the old Krittikå series, which had already taken place, and which upon occasion (see 20., 17) appears as the old traditional series. It is an open question whether Greek influence made itself felt in this rectification ; at any rate we have to deal here with an indigenous stage of Indian astronomy antecedent to the authoritative and preponderating influence of the Hellenes. It is probable, therefore, that the period opened up to us by these astronomical conceptions, is the period embracing the first few centuries of our era.
G. Thibaut, in two treatises on the Süryaprajñapti in the Journal As. Soc. Beng. 1880, pp. 107-127, 181–206, has collected some facts of especial interest in this connection, facts which make for the connection of the contents of the Süryapr. with the corresponding statements in the Tcheou Pey, see Ed. Biot in the Journal Asiatique, 1841, pp. 592-639, the second part of which Biot holds to be not later than the second century A. D. Thibaut does not attempt any answer to the question whether or not there is here any historical connexion. If such a connection be proved, the Chinese must be regarded as the borrowers, through the medium of Buddhism, with which Jainism was frequently confused by the Chinese. The opposite opinion appears entirely removed from the domain of possibility by the actual facts of the case. [405] The text has been handed down to us contaminated by many corruptions. The numerous gâthâs contained in it often appear with entirely uninflected noun-forms (used in the nominative or accusative) in apabhramsa fashion. The nom. sing. of the first declension mostly ends in o and not in e. The numerals appear in a form that is excessively curtailed. If all these are peccata al origine, they are besides secondary corruptions of the text which are easily traceable. Several gåthås stood originally at the end of several SS in Book l; the MSS. containing the express statement : attha .. gathân bhaạitavvâu, but the words of the gåthas have disappeared. Even Malayagiri is unable to restore them, since they were no longer extant when he wrote: samprati kvå 'pi pustakê na dřisyarité, l. c. p. 266n.
The text begins with the legend (and in fact in the customary formula : têņain kîlênan) that Imdabhùti, at the time of king Jiyasattu in Milila, requested that he should be instructed by Mahav.) in ....., and then follows in 15 gåthase a complete statement of the contents of the 20 or the 33 sub-divisions in books 1, 2, 10. The redaction is, therefore, the result of the activity of one individual. Books 10 and 15 close with the formula tti bêmi, which we met with in the case of angas 1 - 3. Is it possible from this fact to conjecture (406] that originally they existed separntely, before the anthor incorporated them in his work P7 In I. 3 there is a reference in the text to the Jaribuddivapannatti which here in tarn cites our text. I lere reproduce from my treatise cited above a short statement of the contents :
Book I. in 8 chapters, madalai, the circles traversed annually by the sun, viz. : -
1. vaddiivaddhi muluttiņam, increase and decrease of the number of hours for day and night.
2. addhamamdalasamthit, the position (of the two suns) in the semicircle traversed by each daily.
3. kê tê chinnaṁ pariyarai ? how does one sun traverse the space traversed by the other?, and how great is this space ?
4. amtarar kim chara mti P in what intervening space do the two suns course ? 5. ogâhaï kêvaïyam ? how great a surface does each dip into illuminate)? 6. kevaïyan vikampaï ? how large a tract does each pass over every day? 7. mandala nam samthânê, the figures of the orbits described by them. 8. vikkhambhô, compass and extension of the revolutions of the sun.
51, states their number to be 140 !
& Seel. o. pp. 261, 273, 285. * See the next note and note 1, page 407. * mandalappavēsô is enu nerated in the Nandi as a separate text. . See Colebrooke, Miscell. 2, 223, in reference to the two buns of the Jains, etc.