Jainism in Buddhist Literature

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Alok Prakashan

Page 56

37)
Mäse mäse tu jo bālo kusaggonan tu bhunjat
Na so sukkha adhammasa kalamp agghai solasim. has a very close resemblance to the stanza of the Dhammapada ( 70 ), viz.
Mise māse kusaggena balo bhuñjetha bhojanan.
Na so sankhatadhammanam kalan agghati solasim. The stanzas of the Dhammapada ( 103, 405, 409 ) can be compared with the stanzas of the Uttaradkyana 9.34; 25.22;25. 24. Some other stanzas like 49, 66, 362 are similar to the stanzas 1.2, 4.1, 10. 12, of the Dasavaikalika. In the same way Pundarika Addhyana of the Sūtrakraega and the SaddharmaPundarika, Vipakasatra and Avadanašataka, and Karmasataka, Thinanga and Anguttara, Uttaradhyana and Dhammapada and Jataka Pātimokkha and Nisitha are very closely related to each others in subject matter. The Svetāmbara Agamas are called Ganipitaka107 as the Buddhist scripture are called the Tipitaka109 Thus the sveta: mbara Āgamas are undoubtedly influenced by the Buddhist scripture.100
The mixture of prose and verse, fantastic descriptions of the hells, preaching with the help of legends, parables, tales, dialogues and ballads, are the main characetristics of both Pāli and Jain Scriptures. But in comparison with Pali literature, Jain literature is presented in a rather uninteresting style. Winternitz has pointed out that "with rare exceptions, the sacred books of the Jainas are written in a dry-as-dust, matter of fact, didactic tone, and as far as we know them hitherto, are seldom instilled with that general human interest which so many Buddhist texts possess. Hence, important as they are for the specialist, they cannot claim the interest of the general reader to anything approaching so great an extent, 110
The language of the Canonical literature is a Prākrt called Ardhamāgadhi. The verses, like the Buddhist Canon, present more archaic forms. But the Commentaries (Nijjutti, Bhasa, Corni, and Țika ) are in both Prākřt( Jaina Mahārāştri ) and Sanskrit.