Samayasara

SR No.: 001607
Original Sutra Author: Kundkundacharya
Author: Hiralal Jain, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith
Publication Year: 1944
Total Pages: 370
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Philosophy
File Size: 8 MB

Page 102

INTRODUCTION
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travel in the Eastern countries. Because the corrupt Aryans completely gave up the performance of yaga; they adopted an opposite Dharma altogether. They hold that not performing yaga is their Dharma and performing yaga is a contradiction to Dharma, or Adharma. Further these people of the Eastern countries do not recognise social eminence of the priests.. Socially the Ksatriyas claim to be superior to the Brahmaṇa priests. Hence the orthodox priests, if they travel in the Eastern countries will not be respected according to their social status. These reasons given in the Satapathabrahmana clearly indicate that the people of the Eastern countries of Gangetic valley were all opposed to the Vedic culture of the yaga, and were followers of Ahimsa Dharma. Here we have to note the fact that the followers of Ahimsa Dharma the intellectual leaders of the Eastern countries of the Gangetic valley were all Ksatriyas. All the twentyfour Tirthankaras of the Jainas and the founder of Buddhism Gautama Buddha all claimed to be Ksatriyas; that the Ksatriyas were champions of Ahimsa Dharma that they were opposed to vedic sacrifice, yaga championed by the priests of the Kurupañcăla country is further corroborated by the Upanisadic literature which forms the Vedanta or last form of vedic literature. When we turn to Upanisadic literature we observe a complete change in the intellectual attitude towards life and problems. Prior to that the whole of Vedic culture is Svargakāma Yajetavyaḥ-if you want happiness in Svarga you must perform sacrifice. But when we turn to the Upanişadic period the idea is entirely different. We notice that the intellectual leaders of the Upanisadic period do not attach any importance to the utilitarian idea. Prosperity here and Svarga happiness hereafter are considered both as worthless acquisitions. One is advised to look to something far more valuable than this. That Naciketas rejects the blessings of prosperity offered by Yama, that Maitreyi, the wife of Yajnavalkya refused the offer by her husband of all his riches show clearly that the ideal of the Upanişadic principle is far higher than that presented by the previous age of the vedic culture. Spiritual yaga is considered to be inferior. The Upanisads emphasise a metaphorical yaga of kindling the spiritual fire by yoga in which all the inpurities associated with the self are to be burnt for the purpose of self purification and spiritual realisation. The priests of Kurupanñcala countries throng to the royal courts of the Pracyadeśa with a request to be initiated into this new culture of Atmavidya which is championed by the Ksatriya scholars of the land. What is the origin of the new change of the attitude in the Upanisadic culture. The only answer that we can think of is the Ksatriya intellectuals of the Eastern countries of the Gangetic valley staunchly defended their Ahimsa cult given to them by Lord Rṣabha till they were able to convince the priest of Kurupañcala that their sacrifice was distinctly inferior to this cult of Ahimsa or Atmavidya. Thus we have the Jaina tradition fully corroborated by non-Jaina Vedic literature in these three distinct historic groups of the Samhitās, the Brahmaņas, and the Upanisads.