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INTRODUCTION
35
with vasantasampāta, as seen in the verse from Jyotisakarandaka, be also not true -- real ?
Not only this question but many others also arise. We extremely need research scholars who pay attention to them and from this standpoint study the Jaina literature. Jainas are religious, generous and rich too. If they wish, they can encourage scholars engaged in the study of Jaina literature from the historical and comparative standpoint and thereby even they can contribute to the enhancement of the greatness and glory of Indian culture; I pray them to do so.
Note - We expect that Rev. Jaina monks well versed in Jaina Jyotişa will ponder over the question raised in this essay and kindly favour us with the solution. If we receive the solution, we shall publish it.
The gāthā 'laggam ca dakkhiņāyana ... from Jyotişkarandaka, which was quoted by Shri Kulkarni in his above essay and described by him as inconsistent and misleading is, in fact, not the original correct gātha. In its place there occurs the following gatha in the present volume :
dakkhinaayane laggaṁ pamcasu visuvehi hoti asse ya / uttaraayane laggam sātī visuvesu pamcasu vi ll 306 II
The learned editor Rev. Punyavijayaji wrote a note on the above gāthă, viz. mudrite tu asyā gāthāyān pāțho'śuddho'vyavasthitaś ca vartate'. Thereby he declared the gathā from Jyotişkarandaka printed with vrtti to be corrupt and irregular.
I have not studied Astronomy (Jyotişa). Hence it is but natural that I cannot write anything on this matter. But now when the gātha is available to us in its original correct form, I feel that it will possibly provide conducive condition to the authoritative scholars to take clear-cut decision in this regard.
From the essay by Shri Kulkarni, we have gathered one important fact that credit goes to the Jaina works viz. Sūryaprajñapti, Jyotişkarandaka etc. for providing a key to the understanding of the heart of Vedānga Jyotişa, the oldest work among the works on Indian Jyotişaśāstra. In the absence of these Jaina works, there is no means available in the entire extant Indian literature, that can help us understand Vedānga Jyotisa.
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