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Scientific Contents of Jaina Canons
thouand years after his Nirvana (527 B. C.).5 Available accounts confirm that they could not be preserved in ditto as neither parental nor proper teacher-taught-based memorisation could exist in Jaina tradition in periods when writing process was not common. The modern scholar of east and west is, therefore at a fix to decide whether the current A gamas exist in original. It is, however, agreed by scholars of all camps that the present A gamas are quite modified versions of the original ones and it is now very difficult to tell the original parts in them. These have been prepared during 527 BC to 600 AD. The Digambara sect does not authenticate the available Ardhamāgadhi Agamas. They have what they call Agamalike books—the two most important ones were written by scholars of 100-200 AD8. They have some more āgama like books written at about the same period by Kundakunda, Umaswami and others. Thus, one has to assume that the literature compiled or produced between 527 BC and about 600 AD may safely be called Agamic literature, the commentaries being excluded.
Scientific Contents of Agamic Literature
Agamic literature has a variety of contents including this world and its inhabitants despite its spiritual bias. Akalankahas described its contents in 6-7th century. Sādhwi Kanakashri 10 has lately elaborated them. Assuming to be the records of knowledge of the period it was composed, its study agewise may give us an idea how much we have gained or lost in our knowledge within and without. This expectation seems little too much in view of the remarks of Pt. Sukhlalil Sanghavi that the Jainas have been mainly believers and therefore, timebound newness or progress in their canonical contents is not visible as in other systems of Indian philosophy. This may be partially true for which there are reasons which have not been elaborated though it requires basic studies.
Many authors have shown that the scientific contents of number of Agamas are quite ahead of their times pointing out the acute observational and keen intutional power of the seers. This paper presents the scientific contents of one more āgama like book Aşta pähuda by Kundakunda of early Christian era It has not been reported so far and therefore, it will be interesting.
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