________________
Didactic Works in Prākrit
The idea that poetry is only a vehicle of giving pleasure to the readers was never current in India and it has played no important part in colouring the writings of Indian poets. Like Plato and Horace in the west the guiding principle of both the poets and their critics was to instruct the readers in nearly all the fields of human activity. Pleasure was no doubt thought to be one of the important effects of poetry but instruction in subjects both religious and secular was thought of equal if not of greater value by all and the poets carried this view into practice with zeal in writing their works. Conditions like these should naturally lead to the production of a vast didactic literature which is actually the case in India. They were still stronger in case of Jainism as it was more or less an ethical religion which valued moral advice more than anything else.
Jain writers have written works of a didactic nature with a view to preach the fundamental principles of their religion and also to impart to their lay followers such instructions and moral advice as they thought fit in the interest of their faith both for its maintenance and progress. This advice included, in case of the lay followers, the bestowal of the alms to the wandering monks, the building of the temples dedicated to the Jinas, the erection of the alm-houses and other kindred institutions. In case of the monks the advice took a more theological and philosophical turn and included the usual rules of good conduct and such instructions as would help them in freeing themselves from the bonds of the worldly life.
It is not always possible to distinguish the works of purely didactic nature from others of similar contents, either from the theological and philosophical literature on the one hand or from the story literature on the other. Principles of ethics and worldly advice are not distinct enough to admit of a clear separation from other related topics and this is particularly the case with the Jain literature where the moral element takes precedence over every