Jain Journal 1977 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 42

Jaina Jyotisa Vijnana
SAJJAN SINGH LISHK
Jyotişa Vijñāna means 'Astronomy'. Since the advent of civilization, man has been striving for the mathematical and scientific formulation of the real world around. According to Jaina tradition, Jyotişa Vijñāna formed part and parcel of Jaina philosophy. All the 32 Agamas (sacred texts) of Jaina canonical literature are encyclopaedic in contents including abundance of profound knowledge of Jyotişa Vijñāna as well, yet Süryaprajñapti and Candraprajñapti are the explicit sources of Jaina Jyotişa Vijñāna. They are written in Ardha-Magadhi (half-Magadhi) language. Besides me, scholars like Dr. Shakti Dhar Sharma, Professor Lakshmi Chandra Jain, and Dr. Radha Charan Gupta have, of course, been pursuing their research activities in this direction and have produced some learned research papers also, but the need for an exhaustive analysis of astronomical data embodied in the Jaina canonical texts has so far been encroaching the minds of researchers. The absence of any such venture in this hidden treasure of knowledge has raison d'etre created a big gap in-between Jyotişa Vedānga and Siddhānta periods in history of ancient Indian astronomy. This gap (about 1200 B.C. to 200 A.D.) is popularly called as the dark period in the history of ancient Indian astronomy. Need it be stressed upon the role of mathematical analysis of Jaina astronomical data in order to evaluate in its true sense the foreign influence upon the continual development of ancient Indian astronomical thought till some early centuries of Christian era.
It is to be emphasized upon the pre-requisite that we must develop our frame-work of mind like that of Jainas who lived about 2500 years before, so as to delve deep into the secrets of their astronomical system. Attention may be drawn towards the construction and development of still newer models in fields like nuclear physics in the modern era. Thus it is not quite unnatural that the ancient man had to take many strange and peculiar steps in the process of emergence of astronomical thought which remained centuries together garbed in the religious lore. Jainas had a peculiar notion about the shape of earth which was regarded as made up of concentric rings of land masses alternately surrounded by a large number of ocean rings. Jambudvipa (Jambu-island) is the central island and Bharatavarsa (India) is situated in its south-eastern quarter. The mount Meru is situated at the centre of Jambudvipa. Two suns and two moons etc. are encircling about Meru in their respective mandalas (diurnal orbits). The distance of sun from Meru increases by 2 41 yojanas per solar mandala for 183 days of southern course of the sun