Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 395

370
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA
[Ch. VI
This table of the months and seasons fully agrees with that of the modern Indian months and seasons based on the calculation of Nakşatras as recorded in the ancient literature of India.
Day and Night The Bhs throws an important light upon the revolution of the day and night, their astronomical divisions, the causes of the longest day and shortest night and those of shortest day and longest night,
Thus it is conceived here that the "Day is bright and Night is dark (Divā ujjoe rāim andhayāre), because in day time there is auspicious matter the transformation of which is auspicious, while at night there takes place the transformation of inauspicious matter.)
Revolution of Day and Night The revolution of day and night takes place due to the travelling of the sun in its orbit.
It is explained in the Bhs that in the Jambūdvi pa island two suns rising in the north-east come to the east-south ; again rising in the east-south come to the west-south; rising in the southwest come to the west-north ; rising in the west-north come to the north-east.
Occurrences of the day and night in the southern and northern halves of Jambūdvīpa and in the region to the east of Mandāra mountain are treated thus :
"When in the southern half of Jambūdržpa it becomes day, in its northern balf also it becomes day; when it becoines day in the northern half of Jambūdvīpa, then it becomes night in the east and west of Mandāra mountain."
When it bccomes day in the east of Mandāra mountain, it becomes day also in west, when in the west it becomes day, then in Jambūdvipa it becomes night to the north and south of Mandāra mountain".'
i Bhs, 5, 9, 224. 9 I6, 5, 1, 187.
· Ib, 5, 1. 176. 4 16, 5, 1, 177.
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