The text is a much studied short summary of the fundamentals of Jaina cosmography and geography, commonly known as the Sangrahaninirayana, Laghusangrahani, Sangrahaniratna or Trailokyadipika, the Illuminating Gloss on the Tripartite World. The diagrams explain why the duplicate sun and moon orbiting the central mountain Merle according to Jaina cosmographers, are never observed simultaneously. Sricandra (12-13th c.) monk of the Harsapuriya Gaccha of Ivetambara sect, and a pupil of Maladharin Hemacandra. The original text as published by the DLP with the commentary of Devabhadra, a disciple of the author, consists of 274 mnemonic gathas (stanzas), divided into 7 chapters.
MS: | 4465 |
MS Short Title: | SRICANDRA |
Text: | RICANDRA: SANKHITTA SANGHEYANI; THE CONCISE COMPENDIUM OF COSMOGRAPHY; 331 GATHAS |
Description | MS in Jain Maharastri Prakrit and Sanskrit on paper, Gujerat or Rajastan, West India, 17th c., 35 ff., 11x25 cm, single column, (8x22 cm), 7 lines in Jain Devanagari book script, punctuation and verses in red, red and yellow margin lines, 33 high quality miniatures, maps and diagrams in colours. |
Binding: | West India, 17th c., poti with paper cover, recto cover ornamented with floral patterns and rosettes, in 20th c. brown cloth folding case. |
Provenance: | 1. Sam Fogg cat. 17 (1996): 106. |
Place of origin: | West India |
Dates: | 17th Century |