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Intricacy of Certain Verses of Āryabhatīya and Jain Tradition

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Intricacy of Certain Verses of Āryabhat ī ya and Jain Tradition – Identification of Asmaka as Sravanabelgola-Camravattam Jain Country K. Chandra Hari ƒ Abstract The conclusions that got derived from astronomical considerations about the homeland of Ārybhat a viz Camravattam (10N51, 75E45) is shown to receive additional support from the socio-cultural factors related to the Jaina tradition in Kerala and South India. It is shown that the A śmaka referred to by Bh āskara-I is the South Indian Jain settlement around Sravan abelgol a (12N51, 76E29) and Dharmasthala (12N53, 75E23) – place receiving the name A śmaka in Jaina canons because of the great stone monoliths at the place. A number of circumstantial evidences have been adduced in support of the above conclusions: (a) Verse 9 of K ālakriy ā giving the Jaina 12 fold division of Yuga (b) Verse 5 of Da śag ītik ā which speaks of Bharata, the first Universal emperor of Jains who accessed the throne from the Ādin ātha R s abhadeva at the beginning of Apasarpin ī Kaliyuga. Āryabhat a’s rejection of the 4:3:2:1 cycle of Kr t ādi yugas based on the Smr tis provide attestation to the new interpretation attempted of the verse (c) Verse 11 of Gol a referring to Nandana-vana and Meru represents terminology borrowed from Tiloyapan n atti of Jains (d) References to Bramah the primordial deity of Jains in verses 1 of Gan it ā and 49, 50 of Gol a (e) Use of Kali Era having the distinct signature of Aryabhata for the first time in South India with the Aihole inscription of the C ālukya King Pulike śi-II. Legendary and symbolic account of the derivation of 24 R*sines and R*cosines in analogy with the rolling up of a stone to achieve height (Rsine α) and then leaving the same to roll down in ease is explained as evidence for the origination of the use of sines with Āryabhat a in Kerala. Also effort has been made to review the major conclusions on the homeland of Āryabhat a and the controversy on the identity of A śmaka. Aihole as Āryapura suggests the possibility that the town may have been originally named after Āryabhat a or may be the place where he may have attained liberation later in his life as a Jain saint. Key Words: Āryabhat a, Camravattam, A śmaka, Stone Monoliths, Sravan abelgol a, Aihole, Āryapura, Jaina tradition, Āryabhat īya, Yug ādi, R s abha, Bharata, B āhubali, Śā st ā. ƒ K. Chandra Hari, B6-103, ONGC Colony (East), Chandkheda – 382424, Gandhi Nagar (Dist), Gujarat. 1 I. Introduction Present work is in continuation of the earlier two papers 1,2 on Āryabhat ī ya and the place of Āryabhat a in which an attempt was made to show that Āryabhat a belonged to Kerala. Precisely his place of Observation was Camravttam (10N51, 75E45) near the confluence of Nil ā or Bharatappuzha, where an ancient Jain temple existed and today exists as a Vais n ava deity viz S āstha or known in vernacular language as 'Appan' meaning Chief of the Clan. Apart from astronomical evidence, certain socio-cultural and historical aspects too support the fact that Āryabhat a may have been a resident of this ancient Jain settlement which formed a southernmost extension of the A śmaka country. It becomes therefore apparent that it was the contact of the Jains that made Āryabhat a to have his popularity to reach Kusumapura where an ancient seat of learning or Vidy āpīth a existed. II. Controversy on the Place of Āryabhat a When it comes to the native place of Āryabhat a confusion prevails with opinion divided between Kerala, A śmaka of disputed identity and Kusumapura (near modern Patna) and scholarly opinion lately is in favour of Kusumapura as we can find discussed in the Āryabhat ī ya 3 published by the Indian National Science Academy. Gan ita, latter half of verse 1 reads as – Āryabhat stviha nigadati kusumapurebhyarcitam jn ānam, -meaning " Āryabhat a sets forth here the knowledge honoured at Kusumapura" is taken by everyone including Dr. KV Sarma, the doyen of the Kerala tradition as referring to the location of Āryabhat a. Further in the discussion Shukla and Sarma aver that 'we can conclude without any shadow of doubt that Āryabhat a I flourished at Kusumapura or Pātal īputra...' and also quotes Bh āskara-I and N īlkan t ha to suggest that Āryabhat a was born in A śmaka Janapada. We can find the same idea receiving elaborate discussion in the Āryabhat ī ya, second volume 4 published by INSA with the commentary of Bhaskara-I and Some śvara. 'A Concise History of Science in India' 5 published by the Indian National Science Academy in 1971, just a few years prior to the Āryabhat ī ya edition of Shukla and Sarma in fact gives a contradictory account as below: "...scholars have thought for a long time that Āryabhat a was either born in Kusumapura or lived and taught in that great city of ancient India. Such a view now appears untenable in the light of recent studies on the works of Bhaskara-I and his commentators and also of the 2 medieval commentators of Āryabhat a. In these works, Āryabhat a is frequently referred to as an aśmaka , that is one belonging to the A śmaka country which is the name of a country in the south, possibly Kerala....the fact that commentaries of and works based on Āryabhat ī ya have come largely from South India, from Kerala in particular certainly constitute a strong argument in fvaour of Kerala being the main place of his life and activity" But the scholarly opinion is strongly in favor of a Kusumapura origin of Āryabhat a and his works as may be noted from the account of Ifra Georges 6 as well: "A veritable pioneer of Indian Astronomy, Āryabhat a is without doubt one of the most original, significant and prolific scholars in the history of Indian science. He was long known by Arabic Muslim scholars as Arjabhad and later in Europe in the middle Ages by the Latinized name of Ardubarius. He lived at the end of the 5 th century and the beginning of the sixth century CE, in the town of Kusumapura..." Sastry, one of the doyens of last generation in the field of Indian Astronomy and history of astronomy, has discussed the issue on the following lines: 7 "As far as astronomical works are concerned, it seems that the Kerala country was the seat of its development in the South. It is all based on the Āryabhat īya, with or without corrections called the b ījas... How Āryabhat a came to be connected with the Kerala country is yet to be explained. He is called A śmaka (i.e. one born in the Āś maka region) and some say that an early name of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore was Āś maka (Apte's Dictionary). But many say that the region near the Vindhy ās was called the Āś maka country..." Sarma 8 in his magnum opus 'Contributions to the study of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy and Mathematics' (1977) describes Āryabhat a as having flourished at Kusumapura (modern Patna) and explains that the system of Āryabhat a declined in North India owing to the criticisms from later authorities like Brahmagupta, Var āhamihira and Śrīpati. He also observes that with the popularity gained by the great works of Bhaskara-II, the Āryabhat an system was practically effaced from North India and not even a manuscript or a North Indian commentator of Āryabhat a appeared in the scene after Bhaskara-II. Sarma has also spoken of the legends prevailing in Kerala related to Sanskritization of vernacular place name Kotu ňň all ūr which was the place of an observatory in ancient times. Kotu ňň all ūr or either of the Kall ūr names can be an equivalent to a śmaka (hard black stone) and legends which make Āryabhat a a native of Kerala had been in circulation since ancient times. He is believed to have propagated his teachings at Kusumapura in Northern India. 3 Shukla's discussion on the issue supported by Sarma who had been the greatest authority on Kerala's astronomical tradition and treatises almost nails the conclusion 9 that Āryabhat a was a native of Kusumapura. On an occasion when the present author had discussed the issue with Sarma he did point out that the following some popular speculations early researchers held some notions like A śmaka referred to by Bhaskara-I as sanskritized vernacular place name Kot u ňň all ūr. But subsequently references to ancient Tamil literature suggested that the original place name of Kot u ňň all ūr was Kot umkol ūr and not Kot umkall ūr as required for being the vernacular equivalent of A śmaka viz. kot um-kal .10 Given the background of the sanskritization of vernacular places names as we find illustrated with A śvattha-gr āma (Ālatt ūr) of Parame śvara in 1450 AD, Sa ňgama-grama (Irinjalakkuda also known as Kūdalm ānikyam after a legend of the local temple) 1400 AD, and numerous such innovative names like Śukabh āvukam for Tattama ňgalam, Śilavipinam for P ārakkatu etc speculation still exists that A śmaka is the sanskritization of Kallūr, a name with which different places are existent since ancient times in Kerala. Kotakal or Kotakallūr11 which had a prehistoric stone memorial that gave name to the place became Tirun āvāya in later times and there Mah āmagham used to be held for 12-yearly deliberations on Śā stras and is associated with Kerala astronomical tradition as early as 683 AD, the times of Haridatta, popular in vernacular language as N ārānathu Bhr ānthan 12 through legends.
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  • History of India up to 1206AD (18BHI13C) UNIT 2

    History of India up to 1206AD (18BHI13C) UNIT 2

    History of India up to 1206AD (18BHI13C) UNIT 2 Contents 1 Buddhism and Jainism........................................................................................................ 2 2 Rise of Magadha- Alexander’s Invasion ............................................................................. 9 3 The Mauryas – Asoka ...................................................................................................... 13 4 Mauryan Administration .................................................................................................. 17 1 1 Buddhism and Jainism Jainism Among the various sects, the sect led by Vardhamana Mahavira (referred to as Nigantha Nataputta by Buddhist texts) bloomed into a religion called Jainism. It was earlier known as Nirgranthas (free from bonds). Mahavira was known as Jina (conqueror) of the soul and hence his sect came to be known as Jainism. According to Jain tradition, Mahavira was not the founder of Jainism. According to Jaina tradition, Risabha was the founder of the sect. He is considered the frst Tirthankara. Yajur Veda mentions three of the Tirthankaras, viz., Risabha, Ajitanatha and Aristanemi. Mahavira organised his members into monastic and lay followers. Life of Mahavira Vardhamana was born around 540 BCE in Kundagrama, a suburb of Vaishali. He was a member of the ruling family of a gana-sangha and his father Siddhartha was the chief of the Jnatrika clan. His mother Trishala was a Lichchavi princess and sister of its chief Chetaka. Mahavira was closely connected to rulers of Magadha, Anga and Videha through his mother. From his childhood, he was attracted to spiritual life. After the death of his parents, he left his home at the age of 30 and wandered about as a mendicant for 12 years in search of true knowledge. He practiced severe austerities and discarded his garments. During the course of his wanderings, he met Gosala and spent six years with him before they parted due to differences.