|
Home
Mandir
Jee
News
and views
Jainism
Fundamentals
Make
Donations
Kid's
world
Jains
Groups
Jains
Web Sites
Guiding features
Contact
Us
|
|
NANDĪŚVARADVIPA
The eighth
island from Jambūdvipa is known as Nandisvara dvīpa which has a
diameter of 163 crore and 84 lacs (1638400000) yojanas. If has in
eastern direction a mountain called Aňjanagiri which has a
base-diameter 84000 yojanas and an equal height. It is made up of
Indranīla jewel. In four directions of this mountain there are
four quadrangular drahas (
nzg)
(out way paths, also known as Bāvadīs (
ckoMh
),
each one
with a diameter of one lakh yojanas and a depth of 1000 yojanas.
They are filled with pure water, devoid of watery animals, but
lotus flowers with a diameter of 1000 utsedha yojanas each are
blossoming therein around the Aňjanagiri. In the eastern
direction, there exist four vāpikās (tanks) called Nandā,
Nandāvatī, Nandottara and Nandighosā respectively and are
surrounded by four udyānas (
m|ku)
(forests) each one lakh yojanas long and fifty thousand yojanas
broad respectively. Counting from the eastern direction, these
forests are called Aśoka, Saptacchada, Campaka and Āmra (
vkez
)
respectively. Every forest has Caitya tree after its name. At the
central position of every vapikā (
okfidk
), there are situated-curd coloured mountains of 10000 yojanas
height and an equal diameter. At the outer corners of the vapikās,
there are situated golden mountains named Ratikara, and of 1000
yojanas height and an equal diameter. Thus in the eastern
direction, there are situated 13 mountains, viz. one Aňjanagiri,
four curd-coloured mountains and eight Ratikara mountains and so
does the number of the mountains exist in every other direction
viz. south, west and north. Thus there are 52 mountains in total.
At the peak of every mountain, there exists a jewelled Jina
temple. Thus there are 52 Jina temples in all.
Similarly
the names of the vāpikās surrounding the Anjanagiri in the
southern direction are Arajā, Virajā, Aśoka and Vītaśokā; of those
in the western direction are Vijayā, Vaijayantī, Jayantī and
Aparājitā, and of those in the, northern direction are Ramyā,
Ramanīyā, Suprabhā and Sarvatobhadrā respectively. Thus there are
16 vāpikās in all.
|
|
NandiSvaraDvipa
55
Sixty-Four Forests
Every vāpikā contains 4 forests; thus
the forests; total to 64 in all. Every forest has a golden and
jewelled palace of 62 yojanas height, and breadth and length 31
yojanas each. Every palace has two vedikās and a gopura door.
Named after the forest, there exist vyantara devas along with
their families.
Fifty-Two Jina Temples
Every Jina temple has dimensions in
utsedha yojanas (small yojana equalling to 4 kośas) as: length
100, breadth 50 and height 75. All the Jina temples have 108
garbha houses (sanctuary); each garbha house is equipped with
Jina statues in Padmāsana and of height 500 dhanusas. These
temples are beautified with multiple mangalaghatas, dhūpaghatas,
golden rosaries, jeweled rosaries, aśtamangala fluids etc. The
angels propitiate the Jina statues with water, perfume, flowers,
rice, superior naivedya, fruit, lamp and dhūpa (incense), etc.
The goddesses of Jyotisī, Vānavyantara, Bhavanavāsī and
Kalpāvasi gods sing and dance with devotion at these Jina
temples whereas many gods play at musical instruments like
Bherī, Mardala and Ghantā etc.
ĀSānhika Parva Puja
(Worship)
In Nandisvara dvīpa, every year in the
months of Āsādha, Kārtika and Phālguna, starting from eighth
lunar day of the bright half up to pūrnima (full-moon day) all
the four types of gods perform continuous propitiation with
devotion. At that time beautified Saudharma Indra with a coconut
in hand arrives while riding over the Airāvata elephant.
Beautified with jewels, Isāna lndra with Supādii fruits in hand
also arrives there while riding over a superior elephant.
Beautified with bangles and with bunches of Āmra fruit,
Sanatkumāra Indira also arrives there while riding over a
superior lion. Honourable Mahendra with bananas in hand arrives
there while riding over a superior horse. With a delicate body
and with Ketakī flower in hand, devoted Brahmendra arrives there
while riding over a white swan. Beautified with superior canvara
and various chatras and with a blossomed lotus flower in hand,
Brahmottara lndra arrives while riding over krauňca bird.
Beautified with bangles and keyūra ornaments and with Sevantī
flower in hand, Śukendra arrives while riding over
|
|
56
Jaina Geography
Cakravāka bird. Beautified with
divine grace and with flower rosary in hand, Mahāsukendra
arrives while riding over a parrot. Beautified with superior
jewels and with blue lotus in hand, Satāra Indra inspired with
devotion arrives there while riding over a cuckoo. With
pomegranatt( in hand, devoted Sahasrāra lndra arrives while
riding over Garuda. With bunch of panasa fruits, Ānatendra
arrives with fine divine glory while riding over Garuda bird.
With bunches of tumbaru fruits in hand, beautified with
ornaments, devoted Prānatendra arrives while riding over Padma
vimāna (plane). With ripe sugarcanes in hand, beautified
Ārnendra arrives while riding over Kumuda plane. Beautified
with Kataka, Angada, Mukuta and garlands and with moon-lit
canvara in hand, Acyutendra arrives while riding overa
peacock.
The various types of birds like
peacock, cuckoo and parrot used as planes are the
transformations of the appropriated gods as these types of
birds in the normal sense do not exist there. With fruit and
flower rosaries in hands, and riding over several types of
planes, Jyotisī, Vyantara and Bhavanavāsi gods also arrive
there (see Tiloya Pannatī, Ch. 5, pp. 540-542). In this
manner, the gods from all the four directions propitiating and
filling the space in all directions with devotional echoes, go
round these Jina temples.
Order of Propitiation of
Caturnikāya Devas
The gods with all their might
propitiate the Jina statues in the clockwise direction as
depicted in the following table:
|
|
TABLE OF DIRECTIONS OF PROPITIATION
|
|
|
Devas Duration |
Kalpāvasi |
Bhavanavāsi |
Vyantara |
Jyotisi
|
|
6 hours before noon |
East |
South |
West |
North |
|
6 hours after noon |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
6 hours before midnight |
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
6 hours after midnight |
North |
East |
South |
West |
|
NandiSvara
Dvipa 57
The sun and the moon are immovable
there and there is no division of day and night.
Method of Propitiation
All the devendras together
propitiate the real Jina statues. They offer water, candana
(sandal wood), aksata (rice), flowers, naivedya, lamps,
dhupa (incense) and fruit. They decorate the temples with
Candovās (made of garlands, Canvara and Kinkanis), Chatras,
, Canvaras, and Ghantas. They play on musical instruments
like mardala, bherī, mrdanga, pataha etc. Decorated with
divine clothes and ornaments virgin goddesses present
different dances and in the end stage the biography of Lord
Jinendra. All the gods also stage plays on the biography of
Lord Jinendra.
Thus ends the method of
propitiation at Nandīsvara dvīpa which is situated next to
the Mānusottara Mountain. Human beings cannot reach there.
Only gods propitiate there. Even Vidyādhara human beings and
Chārana Rddhidhari Munīśavaras can also not go there. The
accomplishable do accumulate the beneficence through the act
of mental propitiation.
Kundalavara
Dvīpa-Rucakavara Dvīpa
Kundalavara dvīpa, the eleventh in
'number, has at its centre a ring type mountain called
Kundalavara parvata having a Jina temple in four directions
each. Thus there are four Jina temples. Similarly,
Rucakavara dvīpa, the thirteenth in number, has at its
centre a ring type mountain called Rucakavara parvata having
a Jina temple in four directions each. Thus there are four
Jina temples. In this manner, beyond Mānusottara parvata,
there are Jina temples 52 in Nandisvara, 4 in Kundalavara
and 4 in Rucakavara dvīpas. Thus there are 60 Jina temples
here. And there are 398 Jina temples situated up to
Mānusottara parvata in Manusyaloka. Thus in all there are
458 = (398
+
60) Jina temples which are
real and endless in time. Beyond the thirteenth island there
exist countless islands and oceans where there exists no
Jina temple which is real and endless in time. However at
every place gods and jyotsīs do have their artificial Jina
temples uncountable in number in their respective houses. I
bow down to all such Jina temples.
|
|
LENGTH OF A YOJANA
Paramāu is the smallest
indivisible particle having no length and breadth and
undetectable by sense-organs.
A.
A. Table of Length-Units
Anantānanta paramāus
= 1
Uvasannāsanna
8 Uvasannāsanna
= 1
Sannāsanna
8 Sannāsanna
= 1
Trutirenu
8 Trutitenus
=
1
Trasarenu
8 Trasarenus
=
1
Ratharenu
8 Ratharenus
= 1
Bālāgra of Uttama
bhogabhiimi
8 Bālāgra of U.bhogabhiimi =
1
Bālāgra of Madhyama
bhogabhiimi
8 Bālāgra of M. bhogabhiimi
= 1
Bālāgra of Jaghanya bhogabhiimi
8 Bālāgra of J. bhogabhumi =
1
Bālāgra of Karmabhiimi
8 Bālāgra of Karmabhumi =
1
Līkha
8 Līkha s
=
1
Jn (Louse)
8 Jūns
=
1
Yava (Barley)
8 Yavas
=
1
Angula
Note:
Such an angula is known as
Utsedhāngula.
6 Utsedhāngulas
=
1
Pāda
2 Pādas .
=
1
Bālista
2 Bālistas
= 1 Hasta
2 Hastas
=
1
Rikku
2 Rikkus
=
1
Dhanusa
2000 Dhanusas
=
1
Kośa
4 Kośas
=
1
Laghu Yojana
500 Laghu yojanas
= 1
Mahāyojana
|
|
Length
of a Yojana
59
Thus one mahā yojana has 2000
kosas. There are three types of angulas which are
described as under:
1. Utsedhāngula:
It denotes the length of an
anlugula as determined in terms of bālāgras, līkhas etc.
as depicted in the aforesaid table.
It is used in the measurement of
the height of bodies of devas (gods), human beings,
tiryaňchas (sub-human beings) and residents of narakas
(hells), dimensions of the living places of the four types
of devas and dimensions of towns etc.
2. Pramānāngula:
500 Utsedhāngulas make one
pramānangula. It equals the finger-width of first Bharata
Cakravarti during the period of Avasarpinī.
It is used to measure the
dimensions of islands, oceans, mountains, vedi, rivers,
kunda or water tank jagatī and regions of Bharata etc.
(See Tiloyapannatti, III). The yojana determined in terms
of Pramānāngula is mahāyojana or big yojana equal to 2000
kośas.
3. Ātmāngula:
The finger-width of a human
beings at any time in the regions of Bharata and Airāvata
is known as ātmāngula at that time.
It is used to measure the
dimensions of pitcher, kalaśa, mirror, venu, bherī, yuga,
bed, cart, plough, mūsala, śakti, tomara, throne, arrow,
nāli, aksa, camara, dundubhi, pītha (back), chatra, living
places of human beings, towns, orchards etc. (See
Tiloyapannatti,
. p. 13).
Now we may easily see that
1 Mahāyojana
=
2000 kośas
=
16000000 (therefore 1 kośa =
2000 dhanusas
1 dhanusa = 4 hastas)
Supposing presently one yard
equal to 2 hastas, we see
1 mile
=
1760 yards
=
3520 hastas
Therefore, 1 Mahāyojana=16000000x1/3520
=4545-5/11 miles or 4545.45 miles
(See also L. C. Jaina's
Introduction to Jambūdīvpa Pannattī).
Presently many people are
confused over the lengths of a kośa
|
|
60
jaina Geography
and a yojana respectively. But pondering over the
interrelationship of different length-units, it may be
easily seen that a bālāgra (front portion Of a hair) of
karmabhūmi is eight times the bālāgra of jaghanya
bhogabhūmi. With the passage of time now in the fifth
period of wheel of time, the bālāgra of today must have
become thicker than before. This would surely affect the
lengths of subsequent unit’s viz. angula, pāda, hasta
and yojana etc. A deeper insight into this problem will
surely rectify several doubts of the researchers. The
length of a bālāgra of karmabhūmi varies, as determined
by modern microscopes, from 1/400 inch to 1/200 inch.
Consequently the length of a yojana would also be
fluctuated accordingly. However taking the bālāgra as
equal to 1/500 inch and 1/300 inch, the yojana becomes
equal to 49648.48 miles and 74472.72 miles respectively.
The number of miles in yojana still increases if a
bālāgra is considered equal to 1/200 inch. In this light
it is advisable to consider the authenticity of the
relationship between
a yojana and miles, 4545.45 miles making a yojana. This
relationship will be frequently used in the subsequent
pages.
It is Worth noticing here that the dimensions of towns
like Ayodhya, Hastinapur etc. were measured in terms of
ātmāngulas, the length of which depending upon the
finger-width of the then cakravrti. The finger width
of.a cakravarti varied from that of another cakravarti.
Thus the magnitudes of dimensions of a town appear to
have varied at different times due to the aforesaid
variation in the length unit of an ātmāngula. Therefore
at the time of lord Mahāvīra, his atmangula should be
employed to measure the dimensions of Kundapura, the
birthplace of lord Māhāvīra.
Whereas the dimensions of real islands, oceans, regions,
rivers, water tanks etc. have always been measured in
terms of pramānāngulas, so their magnitudes remain
unchanged with the passage of time. So it is obligatory
upon every one of us to penetrate into the depth of
relationships between different length-units at
different times and different places. Only then we can
rightly estimate the physical concept of the length of a
mahāyojana.
The End. |
Note:- In
this book most of the words have been used from the
Prakrit Language and while copying
the same there may be certain
errors in spite of our best efforts.
Any mistake noticed may be brought
to our notice for making
rectifications.
<<<<<Previous
Back to Index Page
Back to fundamentals
|
