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extent due to the activities of Sadhus who contributed many works, original treatises as well as commentaries to the scientific literature of India in its various branches. Thus, it can be easily seen that the Jaina literature holds no insignificant a niche in the gallery of the literature of the world.
The Jainas possess a number of Kavyas,1 both in Sanskrit and Prakrita3 which are resplendent with all the poetic ornaments that Alankaras'astras speak of and which can well vie with the similar works of the Hindus. Charitras wherein we find biographies of the Tirthankaras and other great personages are written sometimes in an ornate, sometimes in an easy-flowing style They s'yaka-brihad-vritti by Malladhari Sri Hemachandrasuri and Nyaya-khandana-khadya by Yas'ovijaya are some of the best works on Vada or applied logic.
1 Hirasaubhagya by Devavimala gani, Neminirvana by Vagbhatta, Hammira-maha-kavya by Nayachandrasuri, Vijaya-pras'asti by Vallabha gani, Saptasandhana by Meghavijaya, Dharmas armabhyudaya by Harichandra, Tilaka-manjari by Dhanapala and Yas'astilaka by Somadevasuri are some of the best Kavyas.
2 Now what would Sanskrit poetry be without this large Sanskrit literature of the Jainas? The more I learn to know it, the more my admiration rises -Dr. Hertel.
3 Dr. Jacobi observes:
"Had there not been Jaina books belonging to the Prakrita literature, we should not be able now to form an idea of what Prakrita literature was, which once was the rival of Sanskrit literature and certainly more popular than Sanskrit literature... We are much indebted to the Jainas for all the glimpses we get of the popular Prakrita literature.
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