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अनुसन्धान ४६
Yativrsabha and others up to the 12th Century. All these writings are included in the scope of Jain Sauraseni. The language found in all these books is fairly uniform but differs considerably from the Jain Mahārāstri. Though Dig. continued their writings in JS., number of treatises is declining. Varicty of subjects and literary forms is comparatively much less than that of JM. When Apabhramśa dialects took literary form, Dig, writers started their writings in Apa.. Though the first Apa. epic of Svayambhu was written in 8th - 9th Century A.D., Digambara Acāryas were in thcir full form between 10th up to 15th centuries. Their language is fairly uniform and constitutes the bulk of Apa. literature mostly dedicated to Caritas. The most striking feature of the Apa. literature is the fact that the whole of it is written in verses and there hardly exists any prose in it. The Apa. Works written by non-jain writers are scanty. Chronologically last part of Apa. is practically the beginning of New Indo Aryan language.
The facts which we get through this brief language-sketch of Jain literatiure, gives rise to ample curiosities about the Peculiarities of JM. literature. Mahārāştri and Jain Mahārāștri
In Bharata's Nātyaśastra, (2nd-3rd Cen. B.C.) Bhāsās and Vibhasās are mentioned. Mahārāştri is not enumerated in it. Some Scholars try to prove that Dākşinātyă of Bharata is Mahārāștri. Others did not agree with it. In Canda's PrākȚtalaksana (3rd 4th Cen. A.D.) Vararuci's Prākstaprakāśa (6th Cen. A.D.) and in Siddhahemavyākarana (12th Cen.A.D.) Mahārāştri is treated in the beginning as Sāmānya Prákrta or Arsa Prāksta. From the date of Dandin (6th Cen A.D.) onwards it is named Mahārāstri and is thought to be the best Prakrit in which famous epics were composed. (Dandin-Kāvyāsdarśa 1.35). He says that the language originated in Mahāraşțrā is Mahārāștri.
Dr. Hornle points out that ‘Mahārāştra includes Rajputana and Madhyadeśa at that time. If we observe the proficiency of the Jain writers over this languge, It is quite obvious that this
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