On the nature of Sun and Moon as mentioned in the twentieth Pahuda of Surya Pannattt (Prajnaptt)

ON NATURE OF THE SUN AND THE MOON AS MENTIONED IN TWENTIETH PAHUDA OF SURYA PANNATTT (PRAJNAPTT)
S. S. Lishk

Surya Pannatti, (Prajnapti) a Prakrit text, is fifth upanga (sub-limb) of Jaina canon of sacred literature, the present recension of which is said to have been re-dacted by the council of Valabhi in about fifth/sixth century A.D. However, Surya Pannatti, a principal source of Jaina astronomy, is believed to have been written a few centuries before Christian era.1 It comprises of twenty chapters called pahudas or prabhratas- Here an attempt has been made to threw a glance over the nature of the Sun and the Moon as mentioned in twentieth pahuda of Surya Pannatti. The question whether the Sun and the Moon are jivas or ajivas has been carefully examined. According to Karamyogi Charukeerty Bhattarak Swamiji,2 ajiva means non- soul or non-living having neither conscious nor attention. All mundane jivas ire endowed with sense organs and other equipment of the body which are aids to know and understand. According to twentieth pahuda of Surya Pannatti, ±ere exist two opinions regarding the nature of the Sun and the Moon.

1. Some believe that the luminaries are ajivas and not jivas. They don’t exhibit characteristics as mundane jivas do. They are dumb and do not produce any sound.

2. Some others say that the Moon and the Sun are jivas and not ajivas. They cause formation of clouds and produce sound through the thundering of clouds. Thus like mundane jivas they exercise their power to do something. But we say that the Moon and the Sun are devas who have every convenience, reet top-beautiful clothes, smell top-sweet, wear best rosary and best ornaments sne themselves from decay of life. And such others are also produced.

After surveying the then-existing two-fold views
After surveying the then-existing two-fold views, janacaryas gave a kkxfiil exposition of the nature of the Sun and the Moon, In fact, one has Ik conversant with the symbology and the style of personified exposition of ledge in ancient Jaina scriptures.4 Here it appears that the jainian view Klfhe nature of the Sun and the Moon is most scientific as it is well-known to Ikftoot only smell and juice in flowers and preparation of clothes from cotton l_ hn also all sorts of conveniences of life on earth are the outcome of the existence of the Sun and the Moon. Actually they are the lords of life of all jivas on earth. Therefore, it is the Sun and the Moon who own all pleasures such as rosary, sweet smell of the flowers, beautiful clothes and beautiful ornaments etc. They are considered as devas (gods) just to acknowledge their superiority over the human beings. Their personification of devas does not necessarily imply any human like structure but it definitely speaks of the fact that they are held in high esteem over the human beings.

Besides it is mentioned that they do not suffer from decay of life. Although the modern scientists estimate the life of the Sun, yet all such inferences are quite tentative. The two luminaries have been glorifying the heavens from time immemorial. Broadly speaking they appear to be immortal. Rather more of similar bodies are produced in the heaven. It is properly held in scientific world that the earth and the planets are sometimes broken parts of the Sun and the Moon is the sometimes broken parts of the earth. The creation of new heaventy bodies is still going on in the universe-

Here it is worth appreciating that Jainas had developed a very comprehen¬sive theory of knowledge, implied in the model of classification into jivas and ajivas in order to understand the real world around. The terms, jivas and vivas, are technical in nature and their definitions are logically applied so as to determine wheather the Sun and the Moon are jivas or ajivas. The two different opinions-' wherein the luminaries sometimes seem to behave like a jiva and some times like an ajiva-gave birth to the Jainian opinion solidifying that the Sun and the Moon are devas. In modern science also, the theory of quantum mechanics was evolved the account for the two-fold nature of an electron behaving like matter and sometimes like wave energy as well.