Sambodhi 1976 Vol 05

SR No.: 520755
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1976
Total Pages: 416
Language: English, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gujarati
Classification: Magazine, India_Sambodhi, & India
File Size: 12 MB

Page 219

THE JAINAS AND THE WESTERN SCHOLAR*
Padmanabh S Jajai Anyone seeking to evaluate the Western contribution to 'Jaina studios cannot but be struck by the degree to which work on Jainism has lagged bebind that devoted to both Hinduism and Buddhism. The history of Westero scholarship in Buddhism in particular is a long and colourful ono, covering a period of more than one hundred fifty years and including such interesting personalities as Csoma de Koros, Sarat Chandra Das, Sir Aurel Stien, Datsetz Testaro Suzuki, and Gluseppe Tucci. In comparison tho history of Jaina studies is brief and uninspired the main portion of the Western scholarship in Jainism was completed during a period of about sixty years beginning toward the end of the last century; the scholars of Jainism during this period were interested lesg 10 the religion itself than in the linguistic peculiarities of the Prakrits and Apabhrapasa in which Jalpa works were written Beyond this linguistic interest their religion was approached primarily as a tool for the comparative study of Buddhjem.
What little work has been done exclusively on Jainism would seemi to suffer from a lack of communication. The general impression that one receives when he looks into the relationship of Jainism and Western scholor! ship is that there is almost no interaction between the Western scho. lars and the object of their study with few notable exceptions, such as Jacobi and Stevenson, most Western scholars of Jaicism have had no contact with the Jajna community in India. As for their contact with the indi. genoug Jaina scholarship, it has been restricted to what was avajlable to them in the English writings of a few notable Jainologists like Jagmandorlal Jaini, Hiralal Jain and the late Professor A. N Upadhye. Few Wostern scholars show any acquaintance with the vast amount of work published in Hindi (and/or Gujarati) during the last fifty years by such eminent Pandits as Jogal Kishor Mukhtar, Nathuram Premi, Mahendra Kumar Nyayacarya, Kamta Prasad Jain, Muni Punyavijaya, Muni Jlnavijaya, Sukhalal Sanghavi, Bechardas Doshi, Kailash Chandra Shastri, Phoolchandra Siddhaatashastri and Dalsukh Malvadja 1 The writings of these Pandits, although occasionally tinged with sectarian spirit, have had a tremendous influenco on the Jaina community and continue to be a major factor do shaping its attitudes and ancient institutions 10 response to the needs of the presont time.
Tbe majority of Western works about Jajonsm were originally written in German, a much smaller numbes 10 Eaglish. The history of Jalog Sambodhi 5,2–3