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118 THE NINE CATEGORIES OF accrues equally whether they kill the smallest or the greatest jiva, say: 'Therefore since we must acquire sin, let us kill an clephant,' and so get as much as possible for their money.
In connexion with Ahimsā the lecturer whom we have before quoted gives a derivation for the word Hindu which is perhaps more ingenious than ingenuous :
Hindus were not those who originally lived on the banks of the river Indus. Hindus were those from whom himsi was away. Let us not misunderstand words. Let us interpret them correctly. It is those men who are the slaves of taste who say that Hindus were those who lived on the banks of the Indus. We, Jaina, call Hindus those
from whom him or himisi is du or dūr, i.e. away !!! ii. Asatya Though Hissă is the greatest of crimes, the Jaina also or Mrişāvāda.
sam recognize seventeen other sins, and the next worse of these is
untruthfulness, Asatya or Mşişāvāda. They divide the way ordinary folk talk into four classes : they may tell the truth; or they may tell absolute lics; they may occasionally make use of white lies; or their conversation may be a inosaic of truth and lics. Now a Jaina is only allowed to speak in two ways: cither he must tell the truth; or, if that be too difficult, he may avail himself of white lies; but hc must neither lic, nor speak the half-truth half-lic that is ever the blackest of lics.
The sad story of King Vasu shows the power of absolute candour and the fall that follows any declension from it. Vasu was known as 'the Truth-teller ', and his throne was established on veracity; indeed, so strong was the power engendered by his absolute fidelity to truth, that his throne was supported by it alone at a great height from the ground. Two men named Parvata and Närada came to him to ask him to tell them the exact significance of the word Ajā, for one held it to mean 'grain' and the other goat'. The king's pandit had told him that it meant 'grain', but instead of saying this, the king, endeavouring to please both parties, gave the word a double signification, saying
Lāla Benārsi Dāss, loc. cit., p. 75.
| SR No. | 011031 |
| Book Title | Religious Quest of India |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | J N Farquhar, Griswold |
| Publisher | J N Farquhar Griswold |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 365 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 25 MB |