Book Title: Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons
Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Previous | Next

Page 251
________________ AIN CONCEPTION OF THE WORLD 249 from which flow the great fourteen livers The first two rivers, 2 , Jangā and Sindhu flow from the lake Padma situated on the Himayata nountain." In the centre of Bharaha is Mount Vaitādhya, dividing it into north Ind south On this mountain there arc kingdonis of the Vidrīdhara kings *. The first ocean surrounding Jambudvipa is Lavanoda or the Indian cean.18 Then comes the continent of Dhātakikhanda which surrounds the Lavanoda and is twicc in extent Then we have the Kūloda ocean ind then Puskaradvipa 14 In the middle of Puskaradvipa is situated the mountain-range Mānusottara like a city wall which is the ultima thule of Ebe Human World Thus according to the Jain conception, the Human World consists of two and a half continents, viz , Jambudvīpa, DhālakiChanda and half of Puskaradvipa Surrounding Puskara we have various other oceans and continents, which are each twice as largc as the preceding one The eighth continent Nandisaradiva which is described as a land of the gods with beautiful pardens. It is mcntioned that there werc fitty two statues of the Arhats here which weic frequently visited by gods. The last continent is Svayambhuramana. 16 here which we mentioned that there warland of the gods with no 18 mountain is the same as thc IIimalaya inountain and is known in Palı as Himava, (umacala and Humavanta It is one of the seven mountain-ranges that surround landhamādana Seven gient Hunalay an lakes are also mentioned in Pali litcraire, Anottata being the first Anoltata, like the Padma lake of the Jains, is a lotus ke with four outlets on its four sides and is identified with Bindusāra in the Alahābhazla and Manasa sarovara of popular samc (Law, op cit, pp 5, 10, 12) the Jain texts mention the merchants of Campā and Hatih sisa crossing the Lavana cean and going out for tiades, it sccms that Lavana was no other occan than the ndian ocean (cf Nājā 8 p 97 9 p121 , 17 p 201) Lavana foccan is mentioned 1 the Mahabha VI J 13, VI 16 ne identify it with a portion of Central Isia commencing liom the north of Oxus, icluding Western Tarta, ( GDP 163) 2 Cu P 397f, Ullarā Ti 9 p 138 Tambu. 1. 4. Also rsp, Vo II, 3 J32 to 769, also 'some cosmological Ideas of he Jainas', Amulayachandra Sen, 1. HQ 1932, pp 43-48.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429