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NOTES AND NEWS
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bound to be very interesting and useful to those who are interested in communicating with the spirits.
Urdu. An Epitome of the Thirty-two Sutras of the Sthanakwasi sect of the Jainas (in Urdu) by L. Sumerchand Jain. Divisional Accountant, Ambala Cantt.
There are 32 Sutras in Prakrit held sacred by the Sthanakwasi Jains. These were translated into Gujarati first But these were useful only to the Gujerati knowing few. So for the benefit of the larger section of the Hindi knowing public, these were translated into Hindi by Balabrahmachari Muni A mulakrishiji. Now Mr. L. Sumerchand has translated these into fine Urdu language which is the most prevalent language in the Punjab and the United Provinces. Idol Worship, Woman's Salvation, Kovali's taking food, the cause of the rise of tides in the ocean, the geography of the world, and also stories and lives of some eminent personages are treated in these sutras.
Notes and News.
Rs. 1,000 Prize. Mr. Jagrupgabai, Vakil, Etah writes in the “Jain Mitra," as follows:
"A prize of Rs. 1,000 will be awarded to him who gives the best explanation for the following two questions, reconciling the modern geography with the Jaina conception of the world,
1. When it is night in America, why is it day here? According to the Jaina theory, it so happens in Videba. Can we understand America to be Videha? But it is said that in Videha the height of man is always 500 danushas. How can we explain?
2. When it is night for 6 months in the Southern Polar region, it is day for 6 months in the Northern Polar region and vice versa.
Is there a mention of any such thing in the Jaina Scripturez? Authorities should be given."
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
