Lord Mahavira and His Teachings

Author(s): Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

Page 35

Lord Mahavira and His Teachings
and Tikas. Individual topics are discussed in manuals and further dlustrated by extensive narrative literatures. The doctrines are logieally defended by a number of authors in compariosa with and contrast to other Indian systems. Jaina contributions to Indian literature embrace various subjects, and they are spread in different languages like Prakrits (including Apabhramsha), Sanskrit, Tamil Kannada, Old Hindi, Old Gujarati, etc. Jatna anthors have considered language only as means to an end, they peyer invested any one language with religious sanctity. Thanks to their broad outlook, they conidni ante salient contributions to Sanskrit and Prakrit: and how they have enriched Tamil and Karnada, at least the learned audience here needs no further elaborations from me. Buhler wrote many years back about Jeign literature in this manner: "In grammar; in altronomy as well as in all branches of belles-letters the achievements of Jainas have been so great that even their opponents have taken notice of them and that some of their works are of importance for European Science even to-day. 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 erected 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 borne out; but latter finds and researches have also shown that if Bubler had lived today, he would have been more eloquent on the Jama contributions to Indian Literature with such