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________________ 504 STUDIES IN JAIN LITERATURE "Lives of the Series of the Elders" which forms the appendix to the Trisastisalakapurusacarita has a profusion of fairytales and stories of all kinds. While with the exception of the last two Tirthankaras, Parsvanatha and Mahavira, the personages of the Trisastisalakapurusacarita belong to mythology, the Sthaviravalicarita contains the life-stories of the Sthaviras or Theras (Elders), i.e., the disciples of Mahavira. There are many interesting parallels to be found among the stories of the Parisistaparvan not only to familiar stories from other Indian works but also to stories forming part of universal literature of the life of the 5th Jina. Laksmana Ganin composed a voluminous Prakrit poem Supasanaha. cariyam in 1143 A. D. It deals with the life of the 7th Jina. Like the Tirthankaras other holy men too have been glorified in caritras. Dharmakumara's epic Salibhadra-carita (1277 A. D.) is an instance in point. It treats of Salibhadra, a famous legendary hero, a contemporary of Mahavira and King Srenika. The work calls itself a 'Danadharma-katha' and also a Danavadana' (story of notable deeds of alms-giving). The Mahapuranas, Puranas and Caritas, are, as a rule, purely legendary and belong to the realm of mythology. The lives of Parsva and Mahavira which present many historical elements are exceptions. (v) Counterpart of BIhatkatha The Vasudevahindi of Sanghadasa mentioned above, represents the Jain counterpart of the Brhatkatha of Gunadhya, a work which ranked beside the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as one of the great storehouses of Indian literary art. It is a very extensive prose work interspersed with verses. It is less popularly styled as Vasudevacariya. It deals mainly with the wanderings and adventures of Vasudeva, the father of Krsna. At the beginning of the work we get a few facts of the story of Harivamsa. It is a great storehouse of a number of heroic legends, popular stories, edifying narratives extended over many births, and sectarian and didactic tales. Many of the narratives, such as those of Carudatta, Agadadatta, Pippalada, Sagara-princes, Narada, Parvata and Vasu, etc., which are repeated over and over again in later literature are to be found in this work almost in the same form. (vi) Quasi-historical Prabandhas The Prabandhas which deal with historical personages are also no real biographies or history. These Prabandhas contain the "life-stories" or rather stories, legends, and anecdotes associated with historical and literary Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 001868 |
| Book Title | Studies in Jain Literature |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | V M Kulkarni |
| Publisher | Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre |
| Publication Year | 2001 |
| Total Pages | 114 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English, Literature, & Story |
| File Size | 14 MB |