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Sources of Jaina Astronomy A Jaina Canonical Literature
Saijan Singh Lishk & Dr. S. D. Sharma, Dept. of Physics, Panjabi University Patiala.
Jaina canon of sacred literature comprises of a vast treasure of knowledge Jaina canonical works are encyclopaedic in contents including various aspects of Jaina philosophy and history such as political social and economic conditions, education, different modes of religious life; cosmology, cosmography. geography, mathematics, astronomy and evolution of Jaina philosophicat thought etc. The oldest part of the Jaina canon is traditionally represented by the fourteen purvas (the former scriptures) and the twelfth anga (literally, the limb) Drstivada which have now become extinct. According to tradition, the present agamas or sacred books of the Jaina canon have been extracted from a single small section (1), Besides the opinion that Lord Mahavira first composed 'Purvagata Sutra' (the old scriptural verbal knowledge), suggests that the fourteen purvas (the former scriptures) and the twelfth anga (limb) Drstivada were one and the same (50). Most probably the common people
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could not follow purvas (the former scriptures). Thus the twelfth anga (limb) Drstivada might have been composed for the benefit of the less intelligent persons.
The existing agamas (sacred books of the Jaina canonical literature) have been classfled as follows:1. ANGAS
The twelve angas (limbs) constitute a class of literature popularly known as Ganipitaka or Dvadasangi, literally means the twelve limbs (of the Jaina canon). They form the nucleus of the entire Jaina canon(57) They are named in their chronological order as follows: (1) Acaranga, (2) Sutrakrtanga, (3) Sthananga (4) Samavayanga (5) Vyakhyaprajnapti (6) Jnatr-dharmakathanga (7) Upasakadasanga (8) Antakrddasanga (9) Anuttara-aupapatikadasanga (10) Prasna-vyakarana (11) Vipaka Sutra 2. UPANGAS
There are twelve upangas (Sub-limbs) viz.
(1) Aupapatika (2) Rajaprasniya (3) Jivajivabhigama (4) Prajnapana, N. B. This paper is a part of Ph. D. programme of Sajjan Singh Lishk,
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