Indian Culture and Jainism

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Vidya Samsthan

Page 37

Apart from the vast Prākṛta literature Jaina authors adopted various languages such as Apabhraṁśa, Kannada and Tamil for their compositions. "The credit of inaugurating an Augustan age in the Apabhramsa, Tamil and Kannaḍa literature unquestionably goes to the Jainas 95."
Apabhramśa which enjoyed the credit of being the national language of Northern India for a very long time has been nourished by Jaina authors. From the 6th Cent. A.D. to 15th Cent. A.D. the cultivators of Apabhraṁśa language were Jainas". Svayambhu (8th Cent. A.D.) Puspadanta (10th Cent. A.D.), Dhanapala (10th Cent. A.D.), Vīra (11th Cent. A.D.), Nayanandi (11th Cent. A.D.), Kanakāmara (11th Cent. A.D.), Hemacandra (12th Cent. A.D.), Harideva (15th Cent. A.D.), Raidhu (15th cent A.D.) etc." are the immortal literary figures of India. Joindu, Muni Rāmasiṁgha, Devasena etc. are the prominent ethicospiritual writers who have been recognised as the precursors of Kabir, Tulasi and other mystic poet-saints of India98. It will not be amiss to point out that the national language, Hindi owes a great deal to Apabhramśa. Hindi has inherited all its literary forms from Apabhramśa. The regional languages such as Sindhi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarātī, Rājasthānī, Biharī, Uḍiyā, Bangalī, Asami and the like have grown from the soil of Apabhramśa language and literature"9.
As regards Jaina literature in Tamil, "it is not a mere accident that the best literature, known as the Sangama literature, of the ancient Tamil country was the creation of the Jaina scholars. "The two great works, Kural and Nālaḍiyar are the compositions of Jaina authors 100. Of the five major Kavyas, the three, namely, Jivaka Cintamani, Śilappadikāram and Valaiyapati are by Jaina writers. Jīvaka Cintamani is the greatest existing Tamil literary monument102." Besides, all the five minor Kavyas were also composed by Jaina authors 103. Tolkäppiyam, the earliest Tamil grammar, Nannūl, the most popular grammar in Tamil language and the works on Tamil lexicography-all these were written by Jaina authors 104. We may conclude by saying that Jainism prevalied in the South from before the Sangama period (350. BC to 20 A.D.) of Tamil literary history.
Regarding the Kannada language, we may say, "The Jainas have undoubtedly been the foremost cultivators of the Kannada language
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Indian Culture and Jainism