Jain Sahitya Sanshodhak Khand 01 Ank 01 to 02

SR No.: 009877
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jinvijay
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Sanshodhak Samaj Puna
Publication Year: 1922
Total Pages: 274
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 23 MB

Page 137

PART 1]
year 5 to 98 of the era of the Indo-Scy thian kings Kaniska, Huviska and Vasudeva, and are hence generally assigned to the first and second centuries A. D. In a number of them, the dedicators of the statues give not only their own names, but also those of the religious teachers to whose communities they belonged Further they give these teachers their official titles, still used, among the Jains: Vacaka teacher and Ganin head of a school. Lastly they specify the names of the schools( Gana), the subdivisions ( Kula ) and branches Sakha) to which the teachers belonged. Exactly the same division into Gana, Kula and Sakha is found
in the Kalpa Sutra. It is of the highest importance, that in spite of the mutila tion and faulty reproduction of the inscriptions, nine of the names which appear in the Kalpasutra are recogni
sable in them. ⚫
THE IMMEDIATE TASK BEFORE US.
This agreement of the inscriptions with the Kalpasutra proves "that the tradition of the Svetambaras really contains ancient historic elements, and by no means deserves to be looked upon with distrust. " &
Now that we are convinced of the
importance and authenticity of our lite rature we should get some idea of its extent. An idea of the bulk of the extant literature can well be formed
from the various catalogues of Sanskrit and Prakrit Mss. published by the Government. The most important ones
Peterson's Bhandarkar's
are
Buhler's reports in the search of Sans
krit Mss
27
35
ance, in
About our literary culture, Prof. Buhler remarks, "They (the Jains) did not rest content with explaining their own teaching: they turned also to secular sciences of the Brahmans. They have accomplished so much of importgrammer, in astronomy, as well as in some branches of letters, that they have won respect even from their enemies, and some of their works are still of importance to European Science. In Southern India, where they worked among the Dravidian tribes, they also advanced the development of these languages. The Kanarese literary rest on the foundations laid by the language and the Tamil and Telugu Jaina monks. This activity led them, indeed, far from their proper goal, but it created for them an important position in the history of literature and cul
ture. "7
39
>>
5. Buhler's Indian Sect of the Jainas pp. 42, 43. 6.Buhler's Indian Sect of the Jainas p.44.
5
especially the one for the years 1883-84
Weber's Catalogue of Sanskrit and Prakrit Mss in the Royal Library at Berlin (three parts, 1886, 1888, 1892).
From a perusal of these catalogues it will be clear that our extant Literature fully represents all branches of learning.
Now I come to the subject under libraries of the Panjab have not as yet consideration, The Bhandars or Jain been catalogued or examined by any one. I think I am not wrong in estimating the number of Mss. in these Bhandars to be about ten thousand. The following is a list of the chief Bhandars:
Delhi, Ambala city, Rohtak, Hissar, Patiala, Samana, Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Zira, Jallandhar, Hushiarpur, Jandiala,
7.Buhler's Indian Sect of the Jainas p.22.
Aho! Shrutgyanam