Book Title: Nandanvana
Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Page 204
________________ (184) : Nandanavana the other 84% constituents work for. Taken into scientific perspective, all the constituents fall in the various scientific categories. The early literature should have covered them proportionately. However, it is observed that it covers 70% of the description related with jīvas and only 30% related with other five constituents. This suggests the overall importance of jīva over others. It was realised in due course that the power of understanding and retaining such a vast literature is getting weaker. The Seers thought of specified literature for the later generations. Āryarakṣita seems to be the first to specify major categories termed as 'Anuyoga' or Exposition. Accordingly, there are four kinds of exposition: (1) Biographies, Legends and Religious Stories, (2) Science and Mathematics, (3) Primary and Secondary Conduct or Ascetics and Laity, (4) Realology The first and third category dominates the Jaina literature. Most of the tertiary literature was written on the basis of these categories. They have been properly defined by Samantabhadra. There is some difference in names and order in the two traditions, but they are the same in essence. We find that science and mathematics is one of the expositions. This involves almost all branches of science and technology. Realology also deals with topics of the physical world though mostly qualitatively. Pre-Exposition Era Literature As pointed out earlier, the early Jinistic literature is multiexpositional dealing with many topics. For example, though the 14. pre-canons are now non-existent, they have been made a part of twelfth canon. Many texts have indicated their contents. The Vidyānuvāda deals with 700 small and 500 large learnings. Prāņavāya deals with eight-fold indigenous medical system, Kalyāņaváda deals with astral bodies and Loka-Vindusāra deals with cosmology and related topics. Parikarma also deals with mathematical operations and astral bodies. Thus, roughly 30% deals with scientific subjects". Similarly, almost all primary canons deal with many topics of sciences. For example, Acārārga, Sthānānga, Samavão, Sūtrakrtānga, Bhagavati and Jñātādharmakatha deal with food Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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