Book Title: Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra
Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur
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Sec. VII]
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA
443
migration of soul as discussed below. As the Gangās is five hundred yojanas in length, half a yojana in breadth and five hundred dhanūsa in depth (yojana =41 miles, 1 dhanūşā=6 feet), so by this unit of measurement of space of the Gangās, seven Gangās make one great Gangās (Mahāgangā), seven Mahāgangā:= one Sādīņa-Gangā, seven Sādina-Gangā:=one Mrtyu Gangā, seven Mityu Gangūs = one Lohitā Gangā, seven Lohitā-Gangās = one Avanti Gangā and seven Avanti Gangā:=one Pāramāva(n)tī Ganga: thus there become 117,649 Gangās in all with the first and last Gangās.1
There are stated to be two kinds of particles (grains) of sand in these Gangās, viz. sūkşmavondikalevara (having the fine form of body), and vādaravondikalevara (endowed with gross form of body). The first one is sthāpya (thāppa-not explained. If in every hundred years each one gross particle of sand gets diminished, the time by which the store of the seven Gaugās becomes empty of gross particles of sand would be one Saras (a period of time). By this unit of Sara one Mahākalpa is formed of 300,000 of such Saras and eighty-four Mahākalpas make one Mahāmānasa."
This definition of Mahakal pa (the period of transmigration) is supported by the evidences of the Sumangalavilāsini,s where it is stated that the Mahākal pa is the time required to empty a great lake seven times larger than one Sara (i.e. equal to 7 Saras) by removing water by the measure of one drop in every hundred years.
The BhS and the Sumangalavilāsinī agree on this point that time is measured by introducing a Sara in both the cases, but they differ on this that Mahākalpa of the former is formed of 300,000 Saras in place of seven Suras of the latter.
1 It is not clear from the study of the comm, what is meant by
the number of these Gangās except the one river-Gangäs, ? Bhs, 15, 1, 550. 3 Sumangaluvilāsini 1, p. 164 (Buddha gosa's Commentary).
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