Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s13.1

c5.s13.1

The exegetical literature on the Canons is very extensive. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to interpret the Canons without the support of the commentaries, and it is for this reason that the commentaries are included in the present thesis. On the whole the commentary literature seems to be quite trustworthy since the commentators have tried to preserve the old traditions and the stock of tales and legends current in those days. The commentators while illustrating the tenets of the Canon have referred to old compositions (*pūrvaprabandha*), ancient traditions (*vṛddhasampradāya*) and ancient explanations (*vṛddhavyākhyā*), which is an evidence to prove their authenticity. The commentators have frequently quoted the differences of opinions (*kecit*) and wherever they have failed to give satisfactory explanation of the texts they have had recourse to the authority of the older tradition (*sampradāyagamya*) or the words of an omniscient being (*kevalin*).