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The Jaina Antiquary
[ Vol. XVII
epic, drama, mythology, grammar etc. They took care to use the same character of language which was current among all grades of people for their daily expressions. So the common literature of the time is mostly the result of the unshaken labour and brilliance of the Jain literators. It was the age when Apbhransha the traditional heir to Sanskrit was taking shape of modern provincial languages like Bengali, Gujrati, Awadhi, Rajasthni etc. in all parts of India. Jain literature of the age is mostly found in Apbhransha but its stock of words is nearer to old Hindi than the literary form of Apbhransha itself. So we should have a regard for these literators as pioneers of Hindi literature.
Apart from its liberal philological view point, the above Jain literature constitutes the stepping stones leading to that glory of literary revival which reached its zenith during the famous Golden Age of Hiniature, producing genii like Kabir. Jayasi. Sur, and Tulsi. The poetic arts of these venerable poets are only full bloomed beauties of the said Jain literature. Whether in treatment of subject. in composition of verses, in use of figures of speech, in selection of touching scenes or other beauties of rhetoric and prosody, the formers have always been found following the footsteps of their Jain predecessors.
Leaving aside his philosophical differences, we may say that the art of Tulsi owes much to Jain poet Swayambhu Dev (791 A.D.), the composer of the great epic Patmchari (the Jain Ramayan) in Chaupias and Ghattos. It contains narvellons descriptions of battles, lamentings, and pictorial views of nature. intermingle l with philosophical ideas, as is found in Tulsi Ramayan also.
We enjoy the romantic and mystic flavour of Sufi poets like Jyas as far back as 1100. A. D. in Mani Naya Nandi, through his com position Sudanshan Chariu. When we see the inclination to Shrinza Rasa, description of female beauty, nature painting, a mystic idea of universal co relation, and then the selection of verses also. in a way just corresponding to the Romantic epics, we are free to form an idea that, in absense of any such literature to be found elsewhere at so early period, Naya Nandi is the first known composer of Romantic epic (Prem Kavya) and Sufi poets were not ignorant of his art.
