History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS quota-writing 172 pages on the religious literature of the Jainas in his marvellous work "A History of Indian Literature" vol. II. He says:
"In the English translatiun of Vol. II of my "History of Indian Literature' which has been just published, I had to devote 172 pages to Jaina literature. But I have treated in these pages only the religious literature, while reserving the non-religious poetical and scientific literature of the Jainas to the third volume of my book. I am, however, fully aware that I was not able to do full justice to the literary achievements of the Jainas. But I hope to have shown that the Jainas have contributed their full share to the religious, ethical, poetical, and scientific literature of ancient India." - Ibid. p. 144.
The subject that I have selected for this book debars me from entering the majestic domain of the non-canonical literaturel of the Jainas on the one hand, and the magnificent archive of their religiou (which for some reason or other could not be completely included in the canonical literature), on the other.
With these preliminary remaks I shall proceed to examine the relative value of the canonical literature of the Jainas.- a subject which has been incidentally hinted at, in the foregoing chapters.
Languages--To begin with, we may take a survey of the linguistic field. Prāksta as a language holds no insignificant a place therein. It has several varieties, Pāli, Addhamāgahi and Sorasenī being some of them. Just as we own the existence of the Pāli literature to the Bauddhas and that of Avesta and Pahlavi to the Zoroastrians, so for the varied and vivid specimens of the Addhamāgahi literature, we are grateful to the Jainas. As a crest-jewel of Addhamāgahī specimens I may mention Ayara (1, 1). To my mind, its reading appears as if the very words of the first sermon delivered by Lord Mahavira or by his first apostle Indrabhūti are embodied herein, for, I notice here that there is sublimity in thought, serenity in expression and veracity in words. In short it is a panacea for the afflicted and aspirants after truth. 1. This topic has been discussed by me in A Comprehensive History of the non
canonical Literature of the Jainas, but this work can be published only after the
war is over. 2. See Dr. S. M. Katre's article Names of Prakrit Languages published in "A Volume
of Indian and Iranian Studies Presented to Sir E. Denison Ross, Kt., C. I. E."