The earliest Jain literature was compiled in Ardh-Magadhi, a Prakrit language. Prakrit is a group of Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were spoken in India from the 6th century BCE to the 12th century CE. Ardh-Magadhi is one of the oldest Prakrit languages and was the language of the Jain scriptures. It is a vernacular language that is closely related to Sanskrit.
Pali is another Prakrit language that was used to compile Buddhist scriptures. It is a more standardized language than Ardh-Magadhi and is closer to Sanskrit in terms of grammar and vocabulary.
Sanskrit is an Indo-Aryan language that was used in ancient India for religious and literary purposes. It is a highly inflected language with a complex grammar.
The correct answer is (a).