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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s2: (2) Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrology

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c13.s2

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English

(2) Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrology

c13.s2.1

The Jains have memorable achievements in secular sciences, such as mathematics, astronomy and astrology. The *Suriyapannatti* and the *Candapannatti*, the fifth and the seventh *Upāṅgas* of the Jain Canon respectively, deal with astronomy, the latter being completely identical with the former. The *Suriyapannatti* deals with various astronomical views of the Jains such as the orbits which the sun circumscribes during the year, the rising and the setting of the sun, the speed of the course of the sun through each of its 184 cubits, the light of the sun and moon, the measure of the shadow at various seasons of the year, the connection of the moon with the lunar mansions (*naksatra*), the waxing and waning of the moon, the velocity of the five kinds of heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon, planets, *naksatras* and *tārās*), the qualities of the moon light, the number of suns in Jambudvīpa, etc.²⁶ *Vivāhapadala* was another work on astrology.²⁷ Then we had *Joṇipāhuḍa*²⁸ and *Cūḍāmaṇi*²⁹ dealing with astrology.

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²⁶ Winternitz, *History of Indian Literature*, Vol II, p 457, also see Thibaut, *Astronomische Astro-logic und Mathematic* in Buhler-Kielhorn's *Groundress der Indo-Arischen Philologie*, *J A S B*, Vol 49, pt I 1880, Sukumar Ranjan Das, *School of Astronomy*, *I H Q*, Vol VIII, pp 30ff, and 565 ff. For the knowledge of astronomy among the Buddhists see Dr F J Thomas's article Sun, Moon, and Stars (Buddhists, in Hasting's *Ency. of Religion and Ethics*).

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²⁷ *Nisī cū* 12, p 854.

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²⁸ *Brh Bhā* 1. 1303.

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²⁹ Ibid. 1. 1313.

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The knowledge of astronomy was considered necessary to find the time and place for the religious ceremonies.⁸⁰ *Saṅkhāna* (arithmetic) and *joisa* (astronomy) are mentioned in the *Bhagavatī*⁸¹ and the *Uttarādhyayana*⁸² and are included among the fourteen branches of learning stated above.

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⁸⁰ Jambu Ṭī p 2, cf Dīgha I p 10f where the study of astronomy and other arts is condemned by Buddha to the monks

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⁸¹ 2 1.

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The early Jain and Buddhist texts provide ample testimony to the progress made by *jyotiṣa*. The science was otherwise known as *nakkhatta-vijjā*.⁸²ᵃ The experts in *joisa* were required to make forecasts of all coming events. It is said that Mahāvīra was versed in arithmetic and astronomy.⁸³ Arithmetic (*gaṇiya*) is counted among the seventy two arts already referred to, which is said to have been taught by Usabha to Sundarī.⁸⁴ *Gaṇita* is also described as one of the four expositions of the principle (*anuyoga*) in the Jain texts.⁸⁵ The *Thāṇaṅga* mentions ten kinds of science of numbers, *viz* *parikamma* (fundamental operation), *vavahāra* (subject of treatment), *rajju* ("rope" meaning geometry), *rāsi* ("heap" meaning measurement of solid bodies), *kalāsavanna* (fractions), *jāvam tāvam* ("as may as" meaning simple equations), *vagga* ("square" meaning quadratic equation), *ghana* ("cube" meaning cubic equation), *vaggavagga* (liquidratic equation) and *vikappa* (permutation and combination).⁸⁶

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⁸² 25 7, 36.

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⁸³ Kalpa. 1. 10

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⁸⁴ Āva cū, p 156.

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⁸⁵ Das cū p 2

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⁸⁶ 10. 747, Bibhutibhusan Datta, The Jaina School of Mathematics, The Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society, Vol XXI, p 115ff, 1929, also Sukumar Ranjan Das, A short Chronology of Indian Astronomy, I H Q 1931, H R Kapadia, Introduction to Gaṇitatilaka (G O S No LXXVIII), D M Roy Annals of the Bhandarkar Institute, 1920-7, pp 145 ff

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