Jain Thought and Culture

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 70

GN SHARMA*
SOME ASPECTS OF MEDIEVAL JAIN HISTORICAL LITERATURE AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
Jain historical literature embraces religious and secular works, in prose and verse, in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Apabrhamsh languages. It comprises hymns, sacrificial songs, epic tales, lyric poetry, mythical and legendary narratives, theological treatises and manuals of instruction on ritual, and religious discipline ! This kind of literature has its roots in the traditions of our land, and as such its historiography has much affinity with the Puranic and classical style. As far as method of writings is concerned, in a way, it adopts the features of older works in the ancient and contemporary historical context The contents of such writings, therefore, include ancient traditions, narrations of the deeds of the gods, heroes, saints, achievements of royal families and enterprising merchants depicted in legendary, semihistorical and mythical garb The stories and sub-stories connected with the actions of the Turthankars, devas, asuras, gandharvas etc , are the favourite themes of Jain writers They also concentrate on the description of evolution and disolution of Universe like the Puranas Among them there is also an active tendency of linking up the worldly life with the superhuman and sub-human activities, as it is done in the Brahmanic literature
With this analysis of the closeness of Jain historiography to the ancient traditions, we may now pass to the different categories of Jain literature which is significant by virtue of its being useful for the study of historiography A detailed discussion on each group in all its variety is impossible here, but a selective treatment will bring to light the evolution of the method of Jain writings
Professor, Department of History and Indian Culture, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 1 P Jain Shastri, Jain Grantha Prashasti Sangraha, pp 18-22