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The Doctrines of the Jainas
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religion, moral code and philosophy. And this continuous development of the religious experience contributed much to the spiritual, moral and intellectual culture of our country.
The Jainas played a very important part first in the development of the ancient Prakrit languages, as also of the Dravidian languages of the South : Tamil and Kannada Somewhat later they adopted Sanskrit to elucidate the contents of the original Prakrit canon and gradually produced a vast Sanskrit literature comprising valuable works on almost all subjects of the day : philosophy, logic, grammar, lexicography, poetics, politics, folk stories, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. Indian literature in all its branches is thus indebted to the achievements of Jaina authors.
As regards the Prakrit canon, it can be compared to the Pali Pitika of the Buddhists in respect of subject. matter, method of exposition of cardinal tenets, compilation of religious and philosophical doctrines and the evidence which it affords as to the social, political and economic conditions of ancient India.
The Sanskrit literature of the Jainas contains a number of the leading philosophical and literary classics of India's ancient heritage. Umasvati, Siddhasena Divakara, Samantabhadra, Akalanka, Vidyananda, Haribhadra and lemachandra, made contributions which are enduring landmarks in the development of Indian thought and culture.
As regards the Jaina influence in the South, the laborious researches of Burness, Buhler, Burgess, Hoernle,
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