SamavÃÂyÃÂá¹ ga Sà «tra (c. 3rd-4th century BCE) is the 4th amongst the 12 Angas of the Jaina canon. The sutra is believed to have been composed by Gaá¹Âadhara SudharmasvÃÂmë. This text contains the essence of Jain religion, defined and catalogued systematically. Written c. 300 BCE, it is a part of the collection of texts containing Lord MahaviraâÂÂs teachings, collectively termed as Agama Sutras. Additionally, it includes one of the earliest references to the Indian writing tradition.
SamavÃÂyÃÂá¹ ga Sà «tra contains elements of mathematics and astronomy. One of the interesting aspects of this text is its portrayal of Monasticism and spirituality in the terms of numerology.
Mathematics - The SamavÃÂyÃÂá¹ ga Sà «tra seems to be in continuation of the Sthananga Sutra and follows the numeric method of describing substances from 1 to 1 billion.
Astronomy â It contains discussion on Mount Meru, the jyotià Âcakra, the Jambudvëpa, the measurements used in the Jaina canon, the Jaina Loka, the different types of Earth, the 7 Hells, the increase in water levels in the Lavana ocean and like.
It also gives information on the subject matter of the 14 Pà «rva and the 12th Aá¹ ga, Drstivada. Being one of the oldest and most referred texts, it forms the backbone of the Jaina literature. There is a description of the life-span of the Gods in the SamavÃÂyÃÂá¹ ga Sà «tra. There is also a mention of the days of their inhalation and exhalation. It further defines and catalogues the main substances of the Jain religion from a different perspective than the SthÃÂnaá¹ ga Sà «tra. Furthermore, it contains references to the Damili script, an early Tamil script known as Tamili.