Yasastilaka and Indian Culture

SR No.: 001609
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Krishnakant Handiqui
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur
Publication Year: 1968
Total Pages: 566
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Story, Literature, & Culture
File Size: 16 MB

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13. JAINISM AND OTHER FAITHS
imply a recognition of well-established facts and the unescapable influence of social environment rather than any liberalism in the Jaina religious outlook. Further, as we have already pointed out, Jaina religious opinion was lenient in regard to those adherents of the faith who could not wholly discard their former beliefs and practices, and this, too, seems to have facilitated the infiltration of non-Jaina elements into Jaina social and religious usage. Moreover, co-existence with Brahmanism for centuries appears to have influenced Jaina religious practice in various other directions. Somadeva describes, for instance, the five Yajñas for the Jaina householder, and these are clearly modelled on the five Brahmanical Mahayajñas, although by Yajua he seems to mean dana, as explained in a marginal note in Manuscript A.1 It has also been pointed out that certain Raṣṭrakūṭa documents, viz. the Konnur inscription of Amoghavarṣa I and the Surat plates of Karkka, which record grants made for Jaina establishments, make provision inter alia for such typically Hindu religious rites as balicarudana, vaisvadeva, and agnihotra. It is no doubt surprising to find provision made for these rites in grants allocated to Jaina temples and monasteries, but there seems to be no reason to suppose that the rites in question were introduced in these records by the oversight of the imperial secretariat'. Considered in the light of Somadeva's observations cited above, the rites mentioned in the two inscriptions could perhaps be legitimately performed by Jainas so long as they did not involve any animal sacrifice, and we seem to find here another instance of Jaina adaptation of non-Jaina practices. With regard to agnihotra, the Jainas were no doubt opposed to the Brahmanical rite, but evidence furnished by South Indian Jaina literature clearly shows that the Jainas were not opposed to fire ritual, as such. In a learned note published in the Jaina Antiquary Vol. VI, No. II, p. 64, we are told that in Tamil the term Velvi is always used to denote fire ritual, while the expression Veda-Velvi is used in ancient Tamil literature in the sense of Vedic sacrifice. "Whenever the term Velvi is used alone, it merely means fire ritual without involving animal sacrifice. Such a fire ritual has never been codemned by Jains, while they were staunchly opposed to Vedic sacrifice on the ground of Ahimsa. Even now among the Tamil Jainas fire ritual is a common thing. During their marriages they do have the characteristic marriage Homam with all its necessary details. Even in temple worship it is a common practice among the south Indian Jainas. Hence it is entirely erroneous to conclude that fire ritual is foreign to Jainas and that it could not be performed or attended by a Jaina". We are also told that the term in the Tamil
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1 आवेशिका श्रितज्ञातिदीनात्मसु यथाक्रमम् । यथौचित्यं यथाकालं यशपञ्चकमाचरेत् ।। Book VIII, section 43, 2 Altekar: The Rästrakutas and their times, p. 314.