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Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life
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Bimbisara, Chandragupta Maurya, etc. Many religious monks, ruling dynasties, wealthy traders and pious families have contributed to the stability and continuity of the Jain Church with the result that India can feel proud of the Jaina contributions both to its civilization and culture in matters of art, architecture, literature and moral code
The preachings of Mahâvîra are embeded in the canonical texts, and they are interpreted by series of commentaries known as Nryuktis, Churnis, Bhashyas and Tikas. Individual topics are discussed in manuals and further illustrated by extensive narrative literatures. The doctrines are logically defended by a number of authors in comparision with and contrast to other Indian systems. Jaina contributions to Indian literature embrace various subjects; they are spread in different languages like Prakrits (including Apabhramsa), Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Old Hindi, Old Gujrati, etc. Jaina authors have considered language only as means to an end; they never invested any one language with religious sanctity. Thanks to their broad outlook, they could make salient contributions to Sanskrit and Prakrit; and how they have enriched Tamil and Kannada. Buhler wrote many years back about Jaina literature in this manner: "In grammar, in astronomy as well as in all branches of belles-letters the achievements of Jainas have been so that even their opponents have taken notice of them and that some of their works are of importance for European Science even today. In the South where they have worked among the Dravidian peoples, they have also promoted the development of these languages. The Kanarese, Tamil and Telugu literary languages rest on the foundations crected by the Jaina monks. Though this activity has led them far away from their own particular aims, yet it has secured for them an important place in the history of Indian literature and civilization.” This prophetic observation of that great German scholar is not only fully born out, but later finds and researches have also shown that if Buhler had lived today, he would have been more eloquent on the Jaina contributions to Indian literature with such meticulous care and perseverance Jainas have preserved Mss. collections in places like Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Pattan and Moodbidry that these are a part of our national wealth. They built these collections with such an academic and catholic outlook, that there was hardly any place for religious bias.
