Research in Sanskrit and Jaina Literature

This paper surveys the history of scholarship on Sanskrit and Jaina literature, tracing how the discovery and study of India’s classical languages evolved from antiquity to the modern era. Satya Ranjan Banerjee begins by explaining that research is a systematic effort to discover or reinterpret knowledge. He notes that, although European interest in Sanskrit is often highlighted, Indians have studied and preserved their sacred texts since ancient times. In the **ancient period**, grammarians like Pāṇini codified Sanskrit and scholars compiled lexicons, metres and treatises. Jain acaryas produced Prakrit grammars and commentaries on canonical Agamas, demonstrating that Jain monks were important philologists. In the **mediaeval period**, Buddhist, Jain and Hindu scholars continued to edit and interpret scriptures; works like Hemacandra’s *Siddha‑hema‑sabdanuśāna* and lexicons such as *Deśi‑nāma‑mālā* preserved linguistic knowledge. Banerjee describes the **modern period** beginning with the eighteenth‑century European discovery of Sanskrit. Orientalists such as Colebrooke, Roth, Max Müller, Pischel and others edited Vedic hymns, Prakrit grammars and Jain canonical texts, while Indian scholars like Buhler and Jacobi produced critical editions and translations. The author highlights the surge of research in Jain literature: scholars have recovered canonical texts, niryuktis, commentaries, narratives and philosophical treatises; lexicographers compiled vast glossaries of Prakrit and Jain technical terms; and historians have classified literature by genres such as epics, lyrics, fables and doctrinal works. Banerjee emphasises that these discoveries reveal the breadth of Jain intellectual contributions and that many manuscripts remain unexplored. He calls for collaborative research combining philology, history and philosophy to evaluate these texts critically. By charting three centuries of scholarship, the article underscores how the study of Sanskrit and Jaina literature has enriched our understanding of India’s cultural heritage and how much remains to be done.

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