Is Jain Geography Astronomy True

Author(s): Nandighoshsuri, Jivraj Jain
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scripture

Page 39

શું જૈન ભૂગોળ-ખગોળ સાચી છે?
their representation.
(39)
It is difficult to be sure about what the author of the scriptures had in mind while drawing these diagrams, but by using our present knowledge of the various features of the Earth and constituents of the universe, it may be possible to arrive at a consistent or coherent interpretation of the diagrams and the description given in the relevant shlokas of various scriptures. This book makes an attempt to interpret the texts and arrives at many conclusions and predictions, without giving any proofs. At this stage, decoding of the original methodology may not be unique and multiple interpretations are possible, but this is clearly a way to reconcile Jain Agams with observations.
Let us take the case of Jambudvipa mentioned in the Jambudvipapannati and elsewhere. Is it our Earth or our galaxy? From the shape of Jambudvipa, represented by a disc, it is tempting to infer that it is our disc shaped Milky Way. But why Jambudvipa should not be taken as our Earth when it bears many features of the Indian subcontinent (Bharat kshetra ) which have names prevalent even now like Ganga and Sindhu (depicted as rivers), Himwan (as mountain), Videh (a kingdom), Lawan samudra (as Indian Ocean), etc., which are given in the diagrams. Meru being a common word, around which one rotates, can be taken as the rotation axis of earth. All these names can not be a mere coincidence. Similar attempts have been made in the past by Dr. Jeoraj Jain and others and some can be found in the book 'Scientific Perspectives of Jainism'.