Treasury of Jain Tales

SR No.: 006762
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 468
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

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meant for instruction, ethical and religious, and others for amusement by their wit and humour. In 1600 Hemavijaya Sūri wrote his Kathāratnakosa "Treasury of Stories". The author informs us that some of the stories are traditional, some are imaginary, some are compiled from other sources, and some are taken from scriptures. There are 258 stories distributed over ten tarangas. Most of them are written in simple Sanskrit prose. Some are written in elaborate Sanskrit prose; and only a few are metrical narratives. "Most of the narratives are similar to those in the Pañcatantra and other books of stories of this kind, tales of the artfulness of women, tales of rogues, tales of fools, fables and fairy-tales, anecdotes of all descriptions, including some which hold up Brāhmanas and other holy men to scorn". As in the Pañcatantra the tales are interspersed with numerous wise sayings. The tales are, however, loosely strung together.
The Jain narratives are very precious as they go beyond the kings and the priests and give a picture of the real life of the Indian society in all its different classes.
Salient characteristics of Jain Narrative Literature:
In the various types of works, excepting some of the semi-historical works (prabandhas) certain traits arrest our attention as they are hardly noticed in other branches of Indian literature: (i) Pages after pages are devoted to the past and future births; (ii) the inexorable law of karman plays a very conspicuous role; (iii) Sermons with dogmatic details are introduced; (iv) Parables and illustrative tales are added here and there. "The spirit of asceticism is writ large throughout the text; and almost as a rule every hero retires from the world to attain better status in the next life."
(The following comments come from my friend and colleague, Prof. G.S.Bedagkar, a non-Sanskritist, one who had not been exposed to any of the Indological traditions of thought and feeling. They have been suggested by years of reading in Western