Review – Life in Ancient India as depicted in the Jain Canons
Summary
This review examines Jagdish Chandra Jain’s 1947 book, *Life in Ancient India as depicted in the Jain Canons*, which presents a comprehensive, encyclopedic study of the Jain canon. The author argues that the Jain canon, though often overlooked by scholars compared to Brahmanical and Buddhist literature, is a valuable mine of information for various aspects of ancient Indian civilization. Jain’s work is praised for its thorough, firsthand study of available material and its incorporation of modern scholarly research, including contributions from periodicals. The book is structured into six sections, beginning with an introductory overview of the Jain Church and its canon, followed by sections on administration, economic conditions, social life, geographical material, and political history. The reviewer notes that Jain frequently draws parallels between Jaina canonical data and Brahmanical and Buddhist literature, making the writing accessible to both general readers and scholars. Despite its high value, the review offers several criticisms. The reviewer observes that Jain’s objective is to exhaust the material in the Jain canon without chronological order, which prevents tracing the evolution of institutions and practices. The reviewer points out that the Jaina texts reflect an older stage of civilization than the 6th century A.D. final redaction but are often subjective, as many illustrative tales belong to folklore and are told for didactic purposes under austere Jaina ethics rather than as realistic pictures of contemporary life. The reviewer also critiques specific claims in the book, such as the author’s approval of an outdated view on the origin of writing in India, his characterization of certain states as “technical constitutions,” and his comparison of Jaina and Brahmanical tax lists, which the reviewer notes refer to different economic stages. Additionally, the reviewer mentions inaccuracies in the author’s descriptions of land measures, coins, and the prevalence of certain practices, as well as the identification of certain geographical regions. The review concludes by noting that Jain’s work, while indispensable as a reference, would have benefited from a more critical and chronological approach to the material.
AI-generated summary, automatically checked against the article text.
Conclusion
Jagdish Chandra Jain’s work presents a comprehensive, encyclopedic survey of ancient Indian life as documented in the Jain canons, offering an indispensable reference that systematically covers administration, economic conditions, social life, geography, and political history. By drawing valuable parallels with Brahmanical and Buddhist literature, the author successfully highlights the rich, albeit overlooked, informational potential of these texts. However, the review underscores that the Jaina canon’s value as an objective historical record is somewhat compromised by its reliance on folklore, didactic narratives, and legendary traditions. Consequently, while the text provides a foundational overview of ancient Indian civilization, readers must approach its historical and economic assertions with caution, recognizing that the texts often reflect an austere ethical framework rather than a strictly realistic depiction of contemporary society.