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________________ INDIAN NARRATIVE LITERATURE : A STUDY 529 by Abhinavagupta and adds by way of example Samaradityadivat27. Hemacandra who follows Bhoja in describing various types of composition in Sanskrit, Prakrit, etc., occasionally expands Bhoja's definitions or descriptions of a few types. For example, the reader's attention may be drawn to Bhoja's description of the nature of akhyayika and katha in his Srngaraprakasa (Vol.II, p. 469) and Hemacandra's description in his Kavyanusasana (pp. 462-463). Regarding khandakatha, sakalakatha, upakatha and bihatkatha he observes : va TVAci yafa 7 yem miferat: 1 -(p. 465) Again in contradistinction to Abhinavagupta's naming one of the types of composition as 'paryayabandha' (Locana, p. 324) Hemacandra names it as parya 28. The Kalpalataviveka (p. 171) supports this reading. In Prakrit we have the term 'vajja'. It's Sanskrit equivalent is given as vrajya (=paddhati). It is perhaps possible that the word is derived from 'parya' (pajja-vaija); but, they say, phonetically the initial 'pa' of a Sanskrit word is never changed to 'ya' in Prakrit. With this information about the nature and definition of the different types of katha we now turn to the Jain katha literature for a very brief survey. For it is most pertinent to the subject of Jain Treasury of Tales. A Brief Survey of Jain Narrative Literature 29 The narrative literature of the Svetambaras is a veritable storehouse of folktales, fairy tales, beast fables, parables, illustrative examples, apologues, allegories, legends, novels, funny stories and anecdotes. A large number of such tales and parables and legends occur in the Jain Canon itself : and the number of tales occurring in the commentaries on the canon is legion ! The Jain writers have created new stories and legends of their own, no doubt. But generally speaking they relate the old stories as have been handed down to them by literary or popular tradition. The only significant addition they make is the sermon of the kevalin (accomplished monk, possesser of the perfect knowledge, the completely enlightened) at the end of the story explaining the cause or causes for the misfortunes suffered or prosperity enjoyed by the characters in the story. The Jain monks were very shrewd and practical-minded. They exploited the Indian people's inborn love for stories for the propagation of their Dharma. The Jain stories, folk tales, animal fables, parables, etc. are of great importance for a solution of the problem of migration of stories and for a Stud.-67 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 |