Brief Survey of Jaina Prakrit and Sanskrit Literature Part 4

Author(s): Nalini Joshi
Publisher: Sanmati Tirth Prakashan Pune

Page 12

Comprehensive Concluding Remarks on Jaina-Literature
1. Language-adaption of Jainas: (i) Variety of languages: Jainas have traditionally been viewed and represented in scholarship, both Western and Indian as conservative, unchanging, strict and renunciative in attitude. This traditional view is not totally wrong but it contains only partial truth If we cast a glance at this brief survey of Jaina literature, we find that Jaina authors are very much flexible and adaptable in language acquisition, whether orally or in written form. The intrinsic model of Anekāntavāda (i.e. theory of non-absolution) and fourfold Niksepas (i.e. Dravya-Kșetra-Kāla-Bhāva) can be easily applied to the literary activity of Jainas. Jaina authors are always careful in manifesting their thoughts in contemporary languages. They chose suitable language according to the subject, time, place and form of literature. The variety of languages used by them is stunning. No other religion of Indian origin had carried out its literary activities in various Prakrit dialects than Jainas. Literary expressions of Brahmanical tradition are mostly seen in Sanskrit. Though Lord Buddha preached in Pāli, his followers chose Sanskrit for their literary expressions only two or three centuries after Buddhanirvāņa. Jainas expressed themselves chronologically in Ardhamāgadhi, Jaina Sauraseni, Jaina Mahārāștri, Sanskrit, Apabhramsa and in all the modern Indian regional languages from 10th century A.D. onwards up till now.
(ii) Variations in Each Language: (a) Ardhamāgadhi : Strictly speaking Ardhamāgadhi is the language of the sacred books of Jainas, the so-called Ardhamāgadhi canon. The 45 books consist different forms and varied contents. These canons acquired written form after 1000 years from Lord Mahāvīra's nirvāņa. The oldest form of Ardhamāgadhi is seen intact in the texts in Acārānga (I), Rsibhāșita etc. The second stage of Ardhamāgadhi is seen preserved in old Upāngas and Daśavaikālīka etc. Antagada, Vīpāka, Nāyādhammakahā, Nandi and Anuyogadvāra represent third stage. The true serial order of 45 canons is challenging job for a scholar of linguistics.
(b) Jaina Saurasenī: The name Jaina Saurasenī is given to the Prakrit dialect which is seen in the works of the Digambara writers, most of whom came from the south. Digambaras produced JŚ. literature in two phases. In the first phase the treatises from 2nd century A.D. up to 8th century A.D. are covered. The second phase is seen in the 11th and 12th century. The language found in all these books is fairly uniform but differs considerably from the Jaina Mahārāștrī of the writers of the north. The oldest JŚ works are found in prose form, but the JŚ works of Kundakunda and onwards are written in poetry form. The debate about the antiquity of Sauraseni and Ardhamāgadhi is going on among the scholars of Jainism nearly over a century. The literature found in JŚ. is mostly philosophical, ethical and spiritual. It is a fact that Jainas never used Sauraseni in its classical literary form.
(c) Jaina Mahārāştri : From among the MIA dialects, the Svetāmbaras have used Jaina Mahārāștrī to compose their post-canonical literature. According to Dr. A.M.Ghatage, “Slowly AMg. has come under the influence of Mahārāștrī so as to develop into what is called Jaina