प्रकाशकीय

Summary

This PDF content discusses the traditional daily practices of Jain followers, emphasizing the importance of visiting Jain temples after completing morning ablutions. Devotees perform worship, chanting, and meditation before engaging in discussions with ascetics or listening to religious sermons. The text notes that while this tradition is declining among younger generations, older followers still observe it as an essential part of their routine. It highlights that this practice has significantly contributed to preserving Jain culture and religion, resulting in numerous temples and vast scriptural libraries across India, a tradition unique to Jainism. The content then shifts to the importance of communicating in the audience's language, citing that Jain Tirthankaras from Adinath to Mahavira used contemporary local languages for their teachings. This tradition continued with later scholars and monks, who adopted Apabhramsha when it replaced Prakrit. The text explains that during foreign invasions, people sought religious knowledge in accessible languages, leading to patronage of scholars like poets Pushpadanta and Raighu. The Jain love for study resulted in extensive collections of both Jain and non-Jain manuscripts, many still unpublished. The publication introduces "Jainavidya" magazine, launched by the management committee of Shri Mahavirji Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra to study and publish Jain texts in modern styles with Hindi translations. This third issue focuses on Apabhramsha works by poets Svayambhu and Pushpadanta, with critical evaluations and annotated publications. The editors express gratitude to contributors and hope readers will support this effort to promote Jain knowledge.