Sanskrit ("refined") was the ornate language of offical + learned
statements; the natual unaffected language of the foldk was
Prakrit. Sanskrit was considered the language of the gods,
vouchsated to mankind by the iuchis, + it held an hanored
place as the national language. The oldest book in the most
archaic form of Sanskrit is the Rig-Veda. This work
contains 1,017 hyms, plus 11 more known as Valakhilyas,
in 10 mandals or books. The other Vedasare the Yajur -
Veda, Sama-Veda, + Atharva-Veda. Many
iconographic dements of later literature are present in the
Vedic canon, but offer in an ambryonic form.
Rich + colorful paper manuscripts with gold + silver lettering from
13, 14, 15 C on, with profuse printed decoration to illustrat such texts
as the Kalpasutra, Kumarapalacharita, Kalakacharyakatha
which are Jain. The simplicity of color + stylized form, the
peculair bulge of the eyes (one of them appear sutside
the contours of the face) and other characteristics make
these paintings distinctive.
The Kalp Sutra commences + is chiefly occupied, with the
legendary history of Mahavira, the last of these deified spiritual
lefislators, called by the Jains, Tirthankaras. To this are
appended the lives of other 4 sages of the same class.
Machavura is said to have died in 569 BC at the age of 70.
The Kalpa Sutra, according to a date embodied in the
work itself, was composed 980 years after the demise of
Mahavira or 411 SD. The author's name was Bhadra
Bahu, + the sovereign who then reigned in Gujarath was
Dhruva Sena. The 4 commentators who between the 15 +17 C
have commented on the work are Yasovijuya, Devichandra,
Jnanavimala + Samayasundara.
The Kalpa Sutra has 3 subjects: The history of the
1st + last Jina; the Sthiravali (1st of sages); + the
Samachari (rules of conduct) to giride the sages dening the
Paryushana, or Lenton period.
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