Jain Stories 01

Author(s): Mahendramuni, K C Lalwani
Publisher: A B Jain Shwetambar Terapanth Samaj

Page 10

ducing literature, the writer weeds out certain things which are unnecessary, adds things from his own imagination, imparts dialogue and creates in the process something which is noble, dignified, enchanting, inspiring, something which is a true replica of life and something which, when heard or read, goes straight to the heart Short story is one of the literary forms in which the writer expresses himself. Jainism provides a philosophy which is difficult to the extreme and is intelligible to a handful of scholars To bringit home to the common man, spiritual teachers and scholars in different ages have used the medium of short stories of which there are hundreds, even thousands, scattered throughout the length and breadth of the vast agamıc literature and their commentaries They have been produced in different ages by men with widely divergent experiences, but all against the backdrop of a common canvas which is Jainism. The analysis of personalities in these stories, the conglomeration of events, the clashes of selfish motives and interests, the display of bravery, the shape of endeavour, the depth of human life, the quagmire of meanness, fear, squalor, impatience, lethargy, imbalance, etc, which undermines the quality of life and places it on a very low pedestal, these and many such things dominate these stories They have been repeated innumerable times to refix the fallen, the misguided, the downtrodden to the right path which is the path of religion, the path meant for a pilgrim, and they are still not devoid of freshness and potentiality.
To be the subject-matter of literature, it is not necessary that the life of men only with a golden tinge is deserving of consideration. Even the life of men with dark patches provide an equally worthwhile material for the purpose These two types of men may stand widely apart, they may so to say be called to belong to entirely different worlds, but that does not prevent them from receiving consideration at the hands of a creative artist. Whenever