Jainism in South India and Some Jaina Epigraphs

SR No.: 011025
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: P B Desai
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur
Publication Year: 1957
Total Pages: 495
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 33 MB

Page 111

S, JAINISM IN TAMIL NAD
85
been coeval with their religious movements and distributed over a period of more than one thousand years. In spite of the large number of Jaina writers the Tamil literature claims no such specific classification as the Jaina Period, as contrasted with the Kannada literature wherein a large number of classical Jain, works have been mostly concentrated within the brief span of a few centuries, from the 10th to the 12th century A. D.
THE SILAPPADIKÄRAM: With these brief observations on the Jaina aspects of the Tamil literature, I shall proceed to make an elaborate survey of an eminent classical poem of the Sangam epoch, viz., the Silappadikāram. The reasons for selecting this particular work for a critical examination in the context of these studies are as follows. Firstly, it is one of the early literary creations in Tamil, the author of which is believed to have been an adherent of the Jaina faith and wherein is reflected many a phase of contemporary social and religious life of the Jaina community in the Tamil country. Secondly, since the age assigned to this epic is considerably early and as we are confronted with paucity of sources for this period, a closer perusal of this work is calculated to be fruitful either for filling in gaps in the earlier part of our story of Jainism in the Tamil land or for supplementing the results obtained previously with the assistance of epigraphical and archaeological materials. Thirdly, though this work has been studied by a number of scholars and its importance for the Jaina studies has been noted more than once before, a systematic investigation of the Jaina data embedded therein in a proper perspective is still a desideratum.
As a background for our review we shall first sketch a brief outline of the main story of the poem. Kovalan, the son of a merchant of the prosperous city of Puhar, was married to Kaņņaki, the daughter of another merchant of the same place. After a period of happy married life Kõvalan got into the snares of a courtesan girl and lost his fortune. Accompanied by his wife he left Pubār and proceeded to Madura to earn his livelihood. On their way they made friendship with a Jaina nun named Kavuntiwho escorted them to their destination. Journeying along the bank of the Kāvērī they passed Uraiyūr and reached the outskirts of the city of Madura, where they were given shelter by a cowherdess named Mādari. Kõvalan wanted to sell one of the anklets of Kaņņaki in the market of Madura. He was, however, betrayed by a goldsmith who having himself stolen a similar anklet of the queen, represented Kõvalan as the culprit. Consequently Kõvalan was beheaded. When Kaņñaki learnt this news, her grief knew no bounds. She rushed to the palace
1 Karunti means a female Jaina ascetic'. But here it is aned as if it were a personal
Dame. We bave a similar word Kanti in Kannada. Both these are possibly derived from the Sanskrit word Kantha, a patobed garment.