Lokavibhaga
Encyclopedia
The Lokavibhaga is a Jain
cosmological text originally composed in Prakrit
by a Digambara monk, Sarvanandi, surviving in a Sanskrit version compiled by one Simhasuri. It contains the oldest known mention of numeral zero ("0") and the decimal
positional system The discovery of the manuscript preserving the text was mentioned by the Archaeological Department of Mysore in their report for 1909-10.
The work was supposed to have been first given by word of mouth by Vardhamana, and is said to have been handed down through Sudharma
and a succession of other teachers. Rishi Simhasuri or Simhasura made a translation of it, apparently from the Prakrit into Sanskrit.
The surviving manuscripts state that the original Prakrit work was written down by Sarvanandi at Patalika in the Banarastra on a certain day the astronomical details of which are given. It is further stated therein it was in Saka 380, corresponding to CE 458. The surviving text is a Sanskrit translation by one Simhasuri, copied "some considerable time" after that date by one Simhasuri. A translation was published by Balachandra Shastri
.
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
cosmological text originally composed in Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
by a Digambara monk, Sarvanandi, surviving in a Sanskrit version compiled by one Simhasuri. It contains the oldest known mention of numeral zero ("0") and the decimal
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
positional system The discovery of the manuscript preserving the text was mentioned by the Archaeological Department of Mysore in their report for 1909-10.
The work was supposed to have been first given by word of mouth by Vardhamana, and is said to have been handed down through Sudharma
Sudharma
Sudharma is the only daily newspaper published in Sanskrit, a liturgical language for many Indian religions. The paper is published from the city of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka...
and a succession of other teachers. Rishi Simhasuri or Simhasura made a translation of it, apparently from the Prakrit into Sanskrit.
The surviving manuscripts state that the original Prakrit work was written down by Sarvanandi at Patalika in the Banarastra on a certain day the astronomical details of which are given. It is further stated therein it was in Saka 380, corresponding to CE 458. The surviving text is a Sanskrit translation by one Simhasuri, copied "some considerable time" after that date by one Simhasuri. A translation was published by Balachandra Shastri
Balachandra Shastri
Pandit Balachandra Siddhanta-Shastri was a scholar and linguist who bridged classical and modern scholarship in Jainism during the mid-20th century.-Life:...
.