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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
[CHAP.
sublimity in thought, serenity in expression and veracity in words. In short it is a panacea for the afflicted and aspirants after truth.
Had the Jainas not resorted to Addhamāgahi language and developed and preserved it as they have done, perhaps we would not have been in a position to explain some of the forms and words occurring in the Rg-Veda, Suklayajunprātiśākhya, Atharvasamhitā, Taittirīyasamhitā, Vājasaneyisamhita, Satapatha Brāhmana, Gopatha Brāhamaņa, Taittirīya āranyaka etc.
Now a word about Apabhraíba language. It appears that the A pabhramsa literature consists mostly of the Jaina works, those composed by the non-Jainas being few and far between. Hemacandra Sūri is the Pāṇini of Apabhramsa grammar, and he has quoted several verses from the works of his predecessors. It remains to be ascertained if the following verse occurring in Silāka Sūri's com. (p. 107) on Sūyagada is found in any of his works:
"कोद्धायओ को समचित्त काहोऽवणाहिं काहो दिज्जउ वित्त ।। को उग्घाडउ परिहियउ परिणीयउ को व कुमार
पडियउ जीव खडप्फडेहिं बंधइ पावह भारु।" Probably the following verse, too, occurs in this com. "वरि विस खइयं न विसयसुह इक्कसि विसिण मरंति। विसयाविस पुण घारिया णर णरएहिं वि पडंति ॥"
These verses help us to some extent in fixing the period of the origin of A pabhramsa literature, though it may be argued that the very fact that the Addhamāgahi language also known as Ārșa and Rşibhāṣita is defined as one consisting of 18 Deśī bhāṣās distinctly suggests that A pabbramśa is very very old and can be said to have its origin at least as early as the composition of the Jaina canon.
I may now turn to the Samskrta language. We do not come across any Jaina canonical treatise which is written in Samskrta; but, if we can believe that the Puvvas were composed in Sams. krta (vide p. 89), their bulk can speak volumes about the Jaina contributions in Samsksta. But, as these Puvvas are now extinct, 1 For illustrations see Paja-sadda-mahannava (vol. IV, intro., p. 11). Dr.
P. D. Gune's An Introduction to Comparative Philology (p. 192) may be also consulted.
