________________
will be the atom of the Jains and the volume occupied by it will be the unit of space, the space point or Pradeśa.
The space has two varieties; Lokakasha and Alokakasha. The constituent elements of the world are the infinite number of Jivas and the infinite number of the physical objects, principles of motion and rest and time-all contained in space the sixth. The space which is coextensive with these objects is called Lokakasha. But this is only a part of the real space. Beyond this, there is Alokakasha or Anantakasha. This is pure space. There are no objects animate or inanimate is this infinite region.
For measurement of celestial space, two units are in use. They are Yojana and Rajju corresponding to miles and light years. In order to evaluate the magnitude. of Yojana, we consider the following table of length given in vedic literature:
24 Angula 1 Hasta 18 inches
4 Hasta 2000 Dhanus 4 Kosa
C
Danda or Dhanus = 6 feet
1 Koşa 12000 ft or 25/11 miles
Yojana 100/11 miles or 9 miles 160 yds.
This value is further corroborated from a Sukta of Rigveda, according to which light travels at the rate of 2202 yojanas per half Nimesha. As per Hindu Puranas,
15 Nimeṣas 1 Kāṣṭhā
30 Kästha-1 Kala
30 Kala 1 Muhurta or 48 minutes
Thus the value of one Nimeșa comes to be 1/4 second.
=
Taking the value of Yojana as 100/11 miles and half Nimeșa as 1/4 second, the velocity of light comes to be 1,87,670 miles per second." This is the same value as arrived at by modern science.
1 Yojana
1 Mahayojan 1 Rajju
48
Jain Education International
In order to calculate the value of Rajju in miles, we begin with the quotation given by the German Professor Von Glassnap in his famous book "Der Janismus" on the basis of the famous English astronomer Colebrooke. According to him, Rajju is the distance travelled by a Deva in six months at the rate of 20,57,152 yojanas per Nimesha. Taking the value of Yojana as 2000 x 100/11 miles and six months as 1,55,52,000 seconds or 1,55,52,000 x4 Nimesas, the distance travelled by the Deva is 2.23 x 101 miles, Einstein has assumed the universe as spherical and calculated its volume as 1037 x 1083 cubic miles. If we equate it to the volume of the universe given in cubic Rajjus by Jain thinkers, i. e. 343 cubic Rajjus, we obtain a Rajju equal to 1.45x 1021 miles. Finally, therefore, we arrive at the following space unit distances:
=
100/11 miles
2000 Yojanas-2000 x 100/11 miles)
1.45x 101 miles.
-377
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
