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Branches of Learning in Canons : 81
science of prognostics and (b) science of acquisition of various types of supernatural powers. These two branches of psychological learnings are based on empiricism and austere performances. Many canons have mentioned the prevalence of demonological performances, acquisitions and prognostics though the ascetics have been debarred from applying these learnings for livelihood and without emergency. The number of prognostical branches vary from 2 in Sthānānga to 16 in Sūtrakrtānga and acquisitional branches vary from 2 in Sthānānga to 16 in Sūtrakrtānga. It seems that Sutrakrtānga description to be sufficiently older following Vätsyāyana and Nitisāra numeration and Samavāyānga follows it partially. Table 5 : Comparative table of Departments/Subjects during
different Canonical Periods. Period
No. of Departments No. of Subjects 1. Mahaviran
19 2. Bhagavati
34 3. Samavāyānga 4. Sūtrakrtānga
64 5. Anuyogadvāra 6. Nandi-sūtra
37
32
Despite the fact that later commentators have tried to narrow down the differential gap between Sthānānga and Samavāyānga in this regard, the former remains special. The commentators have modified the science of dreams into science of divination and added science of medicine to the list not found in the latter. Moreover, the later does not have archery and architecture. Secondly, the canons mentioning 29 non-sacred learnings point out three types of texts - aphorismic, commentatarian and supplementary for each branch of prognostics, thus making the total of 8 x 3 = 24 + 5 (additional) = 29 non-sacred texts in counting. As we are considering the branches of learnings, this textual numeration has been overlooked here and the number of learnings has been taken as
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