A History of Indian Literature v2.c20.s3.45

v2.c20.s3.45

More than the Buddhists, the Jainas were at pains to appropriate to themselves all the favourite popular themes from Brahmanical and general Indian literature, so as to be in a position thus to offer their adherents within the fold of their own religious community, all that they could find elsewhere too. At times they established but a very slight connection between these ancient themes and the Jaina religion: in other cases, however, they completely changed and spoilt them, in order to give them a Jinistic appearance. At all events, many a gem of the narrative art of ancient India has come down to us by way of the Jaina commentary and narrative literature, which would otherwise have been consigned to oblivion, and in other cases the Jainas have preserved interesting versions of numerous legends and tales which are known from other sources also.