India is a very diverse country and hence, home to several cultures. Indian culture is enriched with numerous languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, Telegu, etc., and hence, literature in these languages evolved with time. The word Literature is derived from the Latin word ‘litteratura’ which refers to any form of writing that has some literary merit. The literature is broadly classified into fiction and non-fiction.
Sanskrit is the mother language of many Indian languages like Pali and Prakrit. So, during the ancient period, apart from Sanskrit literature, literature also developed in Pali and Prakrit languages. Pali denotes the archaic or old form of Prakrit and other several existing dialects. Buddhist and Jain monks used these vernacular languages to propagate their ideas among common people.
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Buddhist Literature
Mahatma Buddha used Pali to give his sermon. The Buddhist literature could be divided into canonical and non-canonical forms of literature. The canonical literature consists of; Vinaya Pitaka (book of rules and regulations to be followed by Buddhist monks), Sutta Pitaka (contains dialogue and speeches of Buddha), and Abhidhamma Pitaka (contains philosophy and metaphysics). Jatakas are the best examples of non-canonical forms of Buddhist literature which consists of stories of previous births of Buddha.
The great epic Buddhacharita by Aswaghosa is an example of Buddhist literature in Sanskrit. Other major examples of Buddhist literature are; Dipavamsa (about the visit of Buddha to Sri Lanka), Milinda Panha (consists of dialogue between King Meander and Buddhist monk Nagasena), Mahavamsa (epic poem written in Pali), Udana (text belongs to Theravada Buddhist school), etc.
Jain Literature
Apart from Prakrit and Ardha Magadhi Jain monks also wrote in many languages. They also wrote in Sanskrit, Tamil (during the Sangam age), Gujarati, etc. The Jain texts like Upamitibhava Prapancha Katha of Siddharasi are major Sanskrit texts. The most important Prakrit are the Angas, the Upangas, and the Parikramas. Jain scholars like Hemachandra who wrote a treatise on lexicography and grammar.
Prakrit poetry has some elements of erotica through texts like the Gathasaptashati written by Hala in 300 AD. The Prakrit language Angas teaches reverence for all forms of life, strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, compassion, and non-violence. Digambaras gave sacred status to two works; Karmaprabhrita (discussion of Karma) and the Kashayaprabhrita.
Other important Jain works included Uvasaggaharam Stotra and Kalpa Sutra written by Bhadrabahu, Samayasara, and Niyamasara of Acharya Kundkund, Ratna Karanda Sravakachara of Samanta Bhadra, Silappadikaram of Ilango Adigal written in Tami, Civaka Cintamani a Tamil epic written by Tirutakkatevar, Mahapurana and Harivamshapurana written by Jinasena, Haribhadra Suri also wrote in Sanskrit.
The universities of Vallabhi and Kalinga were important centers of learning for Jains. Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna are famous writers who wrote in the Kannada language during 9 – 12th centuries. The revival of Hinduism and Lingayats in Karnataka resulted in the decline of Jainism during the 12 – 13th centuries.
Thus, different languages helped in the development of Buddhist and Jain texts during the ancient period which resulted in enriching the Indian culture.