Jain Jyotish Evam Jyotish Shastri

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text "Jain Jyotish evam Jyotish Shastri" by Lakshmichandra Jain:

This extensive text, "Jain Jyotish evam Jyotish Shastri," by Lakshmichandra Jain, delves into the rich history and sophisticated understanding of astrology within Jain tradition. The author argues that Jain cosmology and astronomical knowledge are ancient, potentially predating current understandings of statistical theories in astrology, and even finding connections to ancient Babylonian and Sumerian records.

Key themes and contributions of Jain astrology highlighted in the text:

• Ancient Origins and Continuity: The text posits that Jain astrological knowledge began with the observation of the Sun and Moon by the first Kulakara (progenitors) to alleviate human curiosity. The concepts of Yugas (epochs) and Kalpas (cosmic cycles) point towards an immeasurably ancient tradition.
• Influence and Exchange: It suggests that during the era of Mahavir, there was significant compilation and creation of astronomical works, potentially drawing from Babylonian and Sumerian ancient recorded materials. There was also an exchange of knowledge with people from regions like Pamir and Southern Russia.
• Lost Treasures and Jain Contributions: The author laments the loss of Indian mathematical astronomical texts predating Aryabhata. However, he emphasizes that the Karananuyoga tradition within Jain literature contains scattered elements that reveal the immense and often overlooked brilliance of Jain astrology. These elements are considered original and fill gaps in the history of astrology.
• Time and Cosmology: Jain texts, particularly the Dhavala commentary on the Shatkhandagama by Virasenacharya, provide detailed information about time. Time is viewed as being subject to the transformations of various substances like souls (jiva) and matter (pudgala), and elements like dharma (medium of motion). This includes concepts of paramanu (atoms) and the movements of celestial bodies. The text also mentions concepts like Yuga, Purva, Palya, Sagaropama, and infinite projections of the Sun.
• Cyclical Nature of Time and Celestial Phenomena: The text describes diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal (nighttime) muhurtas (divisions of time), listing specific names for each. It also discusses the concept of Tithis (lunar days) being divided into five categories: Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya, Rikta, and Purna, each associated with specific deities. The cyclical nature of time extends to five-year Yuga cycles and extends up to Kalpas. The solar system within the manushyakhetra (human realm) is considered the basis of time measurement.
• Broader Concepts of Time: Beyond past, present, and future, Jain texts discuss crucial temporal concepts like gunasthiti kal (duration of states of being), bhavasthiti kal (duration of existence), karmasthiti kal (duration of karmas), kayasthiti kal (duration of embodied existence), upapad kal (time of rebirth), and bhavasthiti kal (duration of mental states). These are considered potentially valuable for modern scientific understanding of time, with the mention of abādha kal potentially relating to time-lag phenomena in biology.
• Nomenclature and Classification of Stars: The text highlights the classification of all constellations into Kula, Upakula, and Kulopakula in the Prashnavyakaran. This system, based on constellations occurring during full moons, leads to the formation of twelve months and, by extension, twelve zodiac signs.
• Unique Astronomical Models: Jain astrology is credited with unique models, such as the division of the celestial sphere into 106,800 segments, and the placement of real and imaginary Sun and Moon bodies. The movement of the Sun across 30 muhurtas within 1830 celestial segments is described as straightforward. However, the Trilokasara's concept of a new, imaginary Sun as Rituchakra (seasonal Sun) moving 1826.13 segments per muhurta is presented as a Jain discovery that predates global zodiacal discoveries.
• Divisions of the Celestial Sphere and Directional Associations: The Samavayanga describes constellations as having specific directional associations (East, South, West, North), with named constellations assigned to each.
• Planetary and Astronomical Knowledge: The text mentions the association of certain constellations with the Moon for specific durations (30, 45, or 15 muhurtas). The Chandra Pragnapti explains the Moon's phases as being due to its movement, a concept presented as distinct from modern scientific understanding. The Trilokasara attributes the Moon's phases to its movement. The Surya Pragnapti details the Sun's path, family, and lifespan, along with the constellations, Tithis, and months associated with the five-year Yuga cycles.
• Methods of Time Measurement: The Chandra Pragnapti describes a method for calculating the duration of the day using shadow lengths, employing trigonometric calculations.
• Key Astronomical Texts and Authors: The text lists significant Jain astronomical works, including:
  • Tiloyapannatti
  • Suryapraptati
  • Chandrapraptati
  • Angavijja (deals with aṣṭāṅga nimitta - prognostication based on 8 types of signs)
  • Lokavijayayantra
  • Jyotishkarandaka (contains original methods for calculating lagna or ascendant)
  • Kalaka Samhita (attributed to Kalakacharya, contemporary of Varahamihira)
  • Jyotishpatala (attributed to Mahaviracharya)
  • Kalyana Varma's works (influenced by South Indian astrology)
  • Shridharacharya's works (both Sanskrit and Kannada)
  • Works by Durgadev, Mallisen, Bhattabhosri, Udayaprabhadev, Rajaditya, Padmaprabh Suri, Narchand Upadhyay, Mahendra Suri, Samantabhadra, Ratnashekhar, Takkarpheru, and Meghvijayguni.
• Influence on Other Traditions: The text notes that Rishiputra's work may have influenced Varahamihira.
• Later Developments and Scholarly Work: The summary traces the development of Jain astrology through different periods (early, middle, and late medieval) and highlights the contributions of various scholars. It also mentions the existence of an estimated 500 Jain astrological texts.
• Call for Research and Preservation: The author concludes with a strong plea for the promotion of research in Jain astrology and mathematics in Jain educational centers, especially in commemoration of Aryabhata's 1500th birth anniversary. He emphasizes that the foundational principles laid by Jain scholars are not just historical artifacts but provide a basis for future scientific exploration and that these principles can be refined with mathematical rigor.

In essence, the text is a comprehensive scholarly overview and advocacy for the rediscovery and recognition of the sophisticated and ancient astronomical and astrological knowledge embedded within the Jain tradition, presenting it as a significant contribution to the broader history of science.