[INDOLOGY] New articles published in the IJJS 2014 & 2015 (Vol. 11, No. 1 & 2)

Mon Mar 9 21:24:34 UTC 2015

Journal archive & free subscription:
http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/

Jaina Modes of Dying in Ārādhanā Texts

*Author:* Luitgard Soni

*Year:* 2014

International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 10, No. 2 (2014) 1-14

*Abstract*

The article focuses on two modes of dying described in the Mūlārādhanā and
illustrated by respective stories in the Bṛhat-Kathākośa: the death by
renouncing food and drink and the death by killing oneself. Special
reference is given to the telling of the stories in the process of
'assisted death' where the supportive and persuasive function of story
telling is explicit. The stories about condoned self-killing, on the other
hand, are of special interest since this act connotes violence and is
usually not associated with Jaina principles. As exemplary stories these
precedents point, however, to particular circumstances where killing
oneself in an abrupt way is seen as the right action.

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<http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/file98089.pdf>

Understanding the Archaeological Contexts and Iconic Details of Jaina
Antiquities from Rakṣatpura and Śaṅkā, District Puruliā, West Bengal

*Author*: Shubha Majumder
*Year*: 2014
International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 10, No. 1 (2014) 1-32
Abstract

Rāḍha, an important geo-cultural unit of ancient Bengal, was closely
associated with the development of different religious traditions. Jainism,
which is one of the ancient religions of India, has strong associations
with the settlement parameters of this geo-cultural unit from a very early
time. The present article focuses on some newly discovered Jaina
antiquities from the villages of Rakṣatpura and Śaṅkā, situated along the
Dāmodar river valley in the Puruliā district of West Bengal. Along this
river valley there are several archaeological sites yielding old
habitational remains as well as sculptural and architectural fragments.
Most of these sites are associated with historical Jaina relics. Several
scholars have already studied these archaeological remains from different
perspectives. However, our recent discoveries have made us rethink our
understanding of the nature of Jaina heritage in this region and also the
iconographic development of its Jaina art.

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<http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/file90047.pdf>

What can the Lifespans of Ṛṣabha, Bharata, Śreyāṃsa, and Ara tell us about
the History of the Concept of Mount Meru?

*Author:* Ruth Satinsky

*Year:* 2015

International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 11, No. 1 (2015) 1-24

*Abstract*

Willibald Kirfel (1920/1990), in his major study of Indian cosmology, Die
Kosmographie der Inder nach den Quellen dargestellt, compares the
Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jaina cosmological systems, and concludes that
the early Brahmanical cosmology forms the basis of the later cosmology
found in the epics and Purāṇas, and that of the Buddhist and Jaina systems,
as well. Contrary to Kirfel, this paper will present some provisional ideas
which suggest that the concept of Mount Meru entered Brahmanical literature
under the influence of the culture out of which Jainism and Buddhism arose,
the culture of Greater Magadha. This hypothesis is based on three
observations: 1) the concept of Mount Meru ("the golden mountain at the
center of the earth and the universe, around which the heavenly bodies
revolve") is prominent in the Jaina and Buddhist canons, but strikingly
absent from Brahmanical literature prior to the Mahābhārata; 2) its late
introduction into Brahmanical literature marks the shift from Vedic to epic
and Purāṇic cosmology at a time when Brahmanical contacts with Buddhism,
Jainism, and their region of origin, Greater Magadha, were possible and
presumably established; and 3) a special group of numbers, "the number
eighty-four and its multiples," is also prominent in the Jaina and Buddhist
canons, and in Ājīvikism, but likewise absent from Brahmanical literature
prior to the Mahābhārata. The lifespans of Ṛṣabha, Bharata, Śreyāṃsa, and
Ara, and the height of Mount Meru are linked to this special group of
numbers, and will serve, amongst others, as examples.

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<http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/file100251.pdf>

A Specific Rule in India for Common Difference as Found in the Gommaṭasāra
of Nemicandra (c. 981)

*Author:* Dipak Jadhav

*Year:* 2015

International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 11, No. 2 (2015) 1-21

*Abstact*

This paper brings the formula *d = S ÷ n²k*  into light and discusses its
various aspects including its context in Jaina philosophy. It was set forth
and utilized by Nemicandra (c. 981) in the *Gommaṭasāra (Karmakāṇḍa)* in
order to demonstrate the lower-thought-activity (*adhaḥ pravṛtta karaṇa*).
The lower-thought-activity is conceived as a special process of
thought-concentration which causes destruction (*kṣapaṇa*) or suppression (
*upaśamana*) of the sub-classes of conduct-deluding *karma*. The paper also
offers a rationale for this specific formula. The relevance of the formula
lies in the fact that it can be used for generating various arithmetic
progressions by finding the common differences, *d* , in accordance with
various values of an arbitrary number, *k* , while their sums, *S* , and
the numbers of their terms, *n* , remain fixed. This way he used it. It can
also be used for generating various arithmetic progressions by finding  in
accordance with various values of *k * while *n*  and *d* remain fixed and
by finding *n* in accordance with various appropriate values of *k* while
*S* and *d* remain fixed.

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<http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/file100639.pdf>

-- 
Dr Peter Flügel
Chair, Centre of Jaina Studies
Department of the Study of Religions
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
School of Oriental and African Studies
University of London
Thornhaugh Street
Russell Square
London WC1H OXG

Tel.: (+44-20) 7898 4776
E-mail: pf8 at soas.ac.uk
http://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies

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