Exact Sciences from Jaina Sources Vol- 2 Astronomy & Cosmology (An Old and Rare Book)

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Foreword Cosmology and Astronomy are some of those topics of 'Exact Sciences' towards the development of which the Jaina School of Parsvanatha and Vardhamana Mahavira has contributed a lot. This School, noted for its mathematic philosophic pursuits, flourished in India very much close round about the same period in which the School of Pythagoras flourished in Greece, that is, in sixth century B. C. and later on. The vast available ancient Jaina literature is primarily religion-cum-philosophy oriented, but the use of mathematics is found in abundance, showing that the Jainas at that time had developed mathematics to a great extent. The ancient Jaina literature is divided into four main groups, called prathmanuyoga, karawinuyoga, carananuyoga and dravyanuyoga where looking to the importance of science, most of the literature of the carananuyoga group deals with mathematical, astronomical and cosmological concepts besides the study of cosmos and self and the Karma Theory. As a matter of fact for this study, two worlds, one the macro world and the other micro world, are to be well manifested to a human intellect and with this object, in view, the Jaina scholars in ancient India have worked on Astronomy, Cosmology and the Karma Theory with mathematical approach.

59 The original Jaina Agamas discuss, amongst other things, the Karma Theory. In these lie the deep secrets of periodic events of nature. It is 61-62 unfortunate that many of these Agamas in which mathematics has been 63-66 developed either as post-universal (alaukika) study of measures and counting or applied in the form of results through analysis and comparability, e. g., 67-69 the works of Bhadrabahu of 3rd-4th century B. C. either have been lost or 70 are not traceable at present.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages