Jaina Philosophy of Language

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 57

Language and Script : (31) (24) Madhyāksaravistara-lipi (25) Puspa-lipi (26) Deva-lipi (27) Nāgalipi (28) Yakşa-lipi (29) Gandharva-lipi (30) Kinnara-lipi (31) Mahoragalipi (32) Asura-lipi (33) Garuņa-lipi (34) Mrgacakra-lipi (35) Vāyasarutalipi (36) Bhoumadeva-lipi (37) Antarikșadeva-lipi (38) Uttarakurudvipalipi (39) Aparagodāniya-lipi (40) Purņavideha-lipi (41) Utksepa-lipi (42) Niksepa-lipi (43) Viksepa-lipi (44) Praksepa-lipi (45) Sāgara-lipi (46) Vajra-lipi (47) Lekha-Pratilekha-lipi (48) Anupadruta-lipi (49) Šāstrāvarta-lipi (50) Ganāvarta-lipi (51) Utk sepāvarta-lipi (52) Nikșepävart-lipi (53) Pädāvarta-lipi (54) Dviruttarapadasamdhi-lipi (55) Adhyāhāriņi-lipi (56) Sarvarutasamgahaņi-lipi (57) Vidyunālomāvimiśrita-lipi (58) Risitapastaptā-lipi (59) Rocamānā-lipi (60) Dharaniprekşani-lipi (61) Gaganaprekșani-lipi (62) Sarvouşadhinisyandā-lipi (63) Sarvasāra-sangrahaņi-lipi (64) Sarvabhūta-rutagrahaņilipi (Parivavrta-10).
By comparison we find that the following scripts mentioned in Lalitavistara are also available at some places in the three lists of the Jaina tradition (1) Brāhmi (2) Kharoşthi (3) Puskarasāri (4) Drāvida (5) Samkhyā (arka) (6) Yaksa (7) Gandharva (8) Antariksa (9) Asura-lipi (Räkşasa), etc.
It may also be noted that in the lists of the Jainas, there are several scripts, which are not included in the list of Lalitavistara. In the Buddhist scripture Suttanta, there is a mention of akkharikākhe. This may be possibly antarikkhiyā of Samavāyānga list. In the above lists there are so many scripts, which were existent in the past, but today we have no evidence of their existence. In the list of Samavāyānga and Prajñāpanā, only Brähmi, Kharosthi and Javani scripts are such, which are found in inscriptions only. But it is difficult to say any thing with certainty about the rest of the scripts. Nihnavikā script, however is recognised as a secret or symbolic script. It could have been secret script because in the Jaina tradition the word nihanava is used in the sense of hiding. We cannot also reject downright the existence of ānka-lipi and Ganita-lipi because a resident of Visvešvara in the south, Yalappa Šāstrī had an important treatise comprising one crore verses. It was seen by the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad and many others. This treatise was written in numbers. On the basis of numerical symbols many volumes of different subjects were included in it. Similarly, the Gandharva script