1. Introduction to Jain literature

CHAPTER I The Jain Literary Activity—The Jainas have bequeathed to us a vast literature besides their canon. The history of Jain canonical literature shows that even before the finalisation of the canon, Jaina monks were already busy in writing commentaries, some of which for example, Oghaniryukti and Pindaniryukti formed a part of the canon accepted in the Council of Valabhi (6th Cent. A.D.). This literary activity continued, in fact with an added force, after the Council of Valabhi which took place in the beginning of 6th Century A.D. under the leadership of monk Devarddhigani. After the revival of Sanskrit in the Gupta period as a means of administration at the State level, and as an accepted language of discussion among the educated circles, the Jainas not only adapted themselves to the demand of the times by composing learned treatises in Sanskrit, but later on utilised even other important languages such as Apabhrasa, modern Indo-Aryan languages and the Dravidian languages as the mediums of preaching, and secular literary activity. Thereby they enriched those languages with a data which is valuable in reconstructing the cultural history of India. are

2 Antiquity : Mahavira preached his re-organised faith among all the sections of the society, especially among the masses. The oldest portions of the canon, as for instance, the Acaranga and the Sutrakrtanga are supposed to be more or less contemporaneous to Mahavira. They are full of illustrations from worldly life and display sometimes the basis of popular narrative literature, legends and myths. Nayadhammakahao, composed of the popular legendary and mythical stories, is a good illustration of the wisdom of the Jain monks who explained their doctrines with the help a of such stories in a lucid manner. Commentorial literature, in which is both Prakrit and Sanskrit, and remains unexplored fully as yet, is rich with myths, legends and popular stories which either originate from the vast pan-Indian story literature, or is inspired by the Brahmanical and are are Buddhist religions literature, or in many cases is purely. the h a creation of the talent of Jaina monks. Narrative Literature : The period after the finalisation of the canon in the present form in the Second Council at Valabhi is marked with a prolific literary activity of the Jainas which resulted in the composition of narrative literature. This impetus towards the composition of narrative literature

3 was so strong that in the case of Jaina Maharastri itself it continued to flourish forcefully upto, say, the 15th Century A.D.1 The main objective, as made clear earlier, was religious exhortation meant for the masses. Upadhye, in his exhaustive introduction to the Brhatkathakosa classifies the post-canonical narrative literature into five types, viz. i) biographies of the 63 illustrious personalities (salakapurusas) described together in a book, ii) life-story of a religious hero, e.g. a tirthakara described independently in a book-form, iii) religious tale in romantic form, iv) semi-historical prabandha, and R v) compilation of stories in the forms of kathakosa Characteristics of Narration : 2 • The common traits of the post-canonical literature are, according to him³, mainly story-within-a-story technique embodying fables, parables and folk tales revealing popular wisdom; and religious exhortation 1. See Ghatage, A.M., "Narrative Literature in Jain Maharastri",ABORI, Vol. XVI, Bp. 26-43. 2. Upadhye, A.N., Brhatkathakosa, P. XXXIX. 3. Ibid. See also for similar views Winternitz, History of Indian Literature, Vol. II, p. 521.

A: First page of the ma. of Vasudevahindi: Dvitiya Khands. copying the Ms. (5.1606). in the 7th line the year of B: Page 81 of the Vasudevahindi indicating A yadi rajaumnamah sarvajnaya jayatyaneka takamthiravah| vyaghadama rupata dvitiyakhamda jayasnavanalipika valayagyi miyavara kamalapatra lamalama laliyamaya galagala liya patra /jayaparadaha pyada mitra ramana layakamala garaca trayapanayakhara balabhikamala daipamarama simavisye tininacada rava mihi dhimamgalauyasivapasa sikana janarya nalapanirhradiphalamiya mitana vaganamadhamadana yamamdaragirismanabada variyammata lahana disasari makajana samaya liya mamgala| sivamamdaka karanakaranamsa makanala yamamaradimama taramanamjana maya ramaka vadavadi kaka miyana | pana kharayataravivasa kasa dakhala sapharakhamdama dhamma ka mayale dhamana priyamada moga silamiya panipata kama kada vaditaja emma simgaraka davava pasammanaparikarama viyatanamane ha visna dhamana diyaniyaka manavati kamakara niyamitapa risa laga samasadita | tamativasati vimana vasati dariya madhyana dautapanakasa | sunabhikamaka vividha sayaya diya parinamadasa kadama kamama manariyanamitamarasimgara lulitaka khatamasavidinamavi yadavarita vibhagani nisrayaritaparaparagata vivadamamdamani kama kadabhimagaighada siyana dhammama vadiya suvipataparinama kamakaliyana kamapanasamitibhicita copying of the text. (5.1608) year of completion of the in the last but one line the C: Last page of the Vasudevahindi stating

B C namatadidi GE vidyavadaririva ninividitrisama nanaspada sanantadadinih yadariya naradiva priyaya sa dahimama nigamama matasamavaya vika upavana ke naginamudara ragadiyasa narakadina samda aam gagamdhava dina kamodaradaramamatiniga lalavali yatima samate || ||bhivadavata 66066varsanadisraveाh himadhyamaravade samaniya srisaga sumdara ranala pana || vahati danikaladi tilalithinaca mitamaniya raomnidamalilanivitata sahagadimaga kalakalimgidajaladhagara migulama haniddayadimaya sanivara dhyarabisa divananadharanividaravadatigiri madodariyakama yampivimucitamtramagarama pratimaragadamanikamda pidharanipalekadayakata kala limilimda nagi malaka kusumayasavidavadama nadi ganadidakagava magavavadayamatavatayasama ramitam matadama sadagataya diya visvavadakala visala va sidadaviya marimarinadama vitata ka ya usakaliti hamnarapa tinavamam dararakalagagana vasitata tahanamapi parigamaाna mikale dayadana diya dayavadama viramapariya damva ko di samavikama halaka kalave ke muddale ki ka raganamiva yamda dala gae gagi bhadavarakhadakkidipa divadiniyamappa ya unadaya kotapasa kalapamavitama G 1 131 bahara sitampa napadevi pata biniyapanavatidadamamaradidamma kumdalana riya triyasarata davigara viyayasmarasala sariyadinana mitra kailara garaparamparama ratipadavamavimala sisticada pacamadapa harimaraya kamala damaum ranagaramitrammaparicayagama miriega liya| maniyala limiि gararudirasparapakhaminavadi rahila gaganavajnananagaravamdanamma vidya dara rana minaka mapadavapayatriyaya vaiti dava hidi prasamgahanipanamasamsadhata jaha mama viyayamamaligamdha datta samana viyayamalalayama somamamitramana siri kavilapama mama chamma ratra va damamabhivagava tama dasava gavabhramadi| disa enavatimiyama | khataga| loga dinamatima damana| vidyapanamama lilamahala madipanarunavagamupanaradivasa 'dada daramuyama mogava daraya | se )| salamada sakala damanapi maranalamidi vimala vibhalamana da evada| mira saba mirivalayaliyava ruliyalai damaega larakarana| khaka mala lamlitavigacitraladaharikamta kana gavati magava gavamja bali| sakavala vamda di| kamarana malaya me naviti| taravira dalada ma sipnali lavagarida naya na jayaga manasavagacimsavalasakavali | vamvada kamala mala | mamdasadava| madarasana )|mamdara dava| madara guna mamdasya masala mamadarada di rimna tilanama maramara di talimalama kamaniya navati| sabarikata na mitramadamasi lalitami rohina ghalavaya a aaाdava nariya matam mama || || mamatayavada dimdi mamgala mamattam sadava himdiema simakada|| || || kapamanasasamgraha ke kanavimsamadamati|||| navasra vidi udayasna sarita parisramaulasri lidhyapita salisyapita || sri anana cha .va.ma . bada . 244

H explaining the details of Jain dogmas, with a special reference to the law of karman. Many of the stories incorporate the above view and are, as such, descriptions of previous births of a hero. The hero of the story naturally is the follower of Jaina religion and ends his life as a Jaina monk. Non-Jaina Narrative Traditions : Narrative literature with religious bias was h not peculiar to the Jain religion only. Such a type of literature also was composed by the leaders of other faiths, viz., the Brahmanical and the Buddhist religions. The epics in Sanskrit, viz., the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana, relate the stories of the legendary heroes. The main theme of the Mahabharata is the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas. At the end, the present Mahabharata also has an appendix in the form of the history of the Line of Hari (Harivamsa). The tradition as revealed in the Mahabharata itself shows that the epic had gone through at least two phases, i.e. Jaya and Bharata, to attain its present form. From the modern researches also it can be seen that certain Bhargava element can be pointed out distinctly as a later addition _ _ 1. See Sukthankar, V.S., 'Epic-Studies VI : The Bhrgus and Bharata: a Text-historical Study' ABORI, VolXVIII.1-76.

5 The purpose of Moksa and Santi parvans is clearly to embody religious exhortations and sermons on polity. As Upadhye has pointed out, there was a sectarian attempt to exalt the hero of the Ramayana as an avatara of Visnu in some of the portions of the Ramayana, which can be said to be a later incorporation. The Puranas are full of stories, myths and legends which describe events of exemplary behaviour, and thereby serve the purpose of explaining certain precepts pertaining to ideal religious behaviour. The Buddhist Jatakas describe the lives of the the Buddha in making. The Bodhisattva during various births, both high and low, brings into practice the code of ideal conduct. Stories which form the basis of the Jatakas were not essentially of Buddhist origin. According to scholars, the stories originally formed a part of the great mass of Indian stories embodying the various types of narrative literature 1. Common Basis : With such a type of religious literature common to all the three main religions of India and also with 1. See Mehta, R.N., Pre-Buddhist India, b. xx.

a remarkable similarity in some of the basic doctrines as for example that of the karma doctrine • it was natural that there should be certain similarity in the. structure of narration or even in the case of certain motifs of a narrative. But similarity in basic doctrines was not the only reason. As pointed out earlier, the stories, tables and parables which are common to all the three religions might have had a common origin in the Another plausible mass of popular Indian stories. explanation is imitation. em When a certain motif or a story was made popular by a particular religion, the same was deployed in preaching their own doctrines by leaders of another religion, after effecting the necessary changes, to give it a more homely look. Religio-romantic Tales : As explained above, the post-canonical literature of the Jainas reveals a new feature and that is the use of the romantic tale in a religious garb. Such a tale is basically a love-story which describes the adventures of a hero who is ultimately united with his beloved. In the course of the narrative are incorporated several stories a with religious import revealing practical wisdom. L The motive in writing such a story, as emphasised earlier, is religious exhortation. Added to this is sometimes the OI

7 element in the form of the Vidyadharas. The hero marries maidens who have superhuman powers. The most important feature of these romantic tales is that they throw interesting sidelights on the social life of the contemporary period¹. Types of Kathas : Stories of this type, which are described as kathas, are divided traditionally into four types : i) atthakaha, ii) kamakaha, iii) dhammakaha and iv) sankinnakaha. The first two of these induced a person to earn wealth and satiate his carnal passions%;B while a dharmakatha makes a person inclined towards leading a pious life. A sankirnakatha has a combined or mixed effect on its listener 2.