Jaina Literature in Tamil

Author(s): A Chakravarti, K V Ramesh
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 55

A. CHAKRAVARTI : !
almost all the religious sects of the Tamil land. The Saivaite claims that it was composed by a Saivaite author. The Vaişņavaites claim it as their own. The Reverend Pope who translated this into English even suggests that it is the work of an author influenced by Christianity. The fact that the different communities are vying with one another in their claim to the authorship of this great work is itself an indication of its great eminence and importance. In the midst of all such various claimants we have the Jaina who maintains that it is the work of a great Jaina ācārya. The Jaina tradition associates this great ethical work with Ēlācāriyar which is the other name for Srī Kundakundācārya. The period of Sri Kundakundācārya is covered by the later half of the first century B. C. and the former half of the first century A. D. We have referred to Sri Kundakundācārya as the chief of the Dravidian Sangha at southern Pāțalīpura.*
We are not merely to depend upon this tradition to base our conclusions.
We have sufficient internal evidence as well as circumstantial evidence to substantiate our view. To any unbiased student who critically examines the con
.. 1. See V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar: op. cit., pp. 136-38 where Tiruvaļļuvar's religious outlook is discussed vis-a-vis Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, Vaişņavism and Saivism.
2. The Sacred KurraỊ (1886), Introduction, pp. ii-iv and vi. 3. M. S. Ramaswami Ayyangar : op. cit., pp. 43-44. 4. Above, pp. 8-9.