Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 48

ON SOME NONCANONICAL SUBHÃSITACOLLECTIONS IN JAINA LITERATURE
Ludwik Sternbach LL. D. Subhāṣita-sangraha-s and Gnomic Subhāșita Literature 1. The non-canoncial subhāșita literature in general, can be divided into two groups: the subhāṣita-samgraha literature (anthologies) and the didactic and gnomic subhāṣita-literature.
1.1. Subhāşıta-s are compositions in stray verses, cach standing by itself,.--containing the essence of some moral truths, practical lessons, or descriptions,—“beautifully turned" 1. e. poetically expressed.
1.2. Subhāșita-sangraha-s are collections of subhāşıta-s, culled from different works and written by different authors and assembled together, in principle, according to a certain plan chosen by the collator.1
1.3. The didactic and gnomic subhāṣıta-literature (which differes from the general didactic and gnomic literature) consists of collections of subhāşıta-s written by a single author assembled by him according to a certain plan.
1. Jaina Subhāșita-samgraha-s
2.1. Jaina subhāṣita-samgraha-s are the earliest subhāṣita-samgraha-s known in Indian literature. The main Sanskrit subhāşıta-samgraha-s, not composed by Jainas, were mostly collected in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, though we know also of the existence of Sanskrit subhāsıta-samgraha-s dating from the eleventh or twelfth century (Vidyākara’s Subhāṣitaratnakoșa).
1.
This plan, generally, follows the three or four purus artha-s, but can be
also quite different.
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