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APPENDIX G
TWO LETTERS OF THE PORTUGESE PRIEST PINHEIRO.
(1)
Pinheiro, a Portugese priest, referred to on p. 45 of this book, addressed a letter on 3-9-1595 from Lahore to a friend of his residing in his own country. The following excerpt from that letter contains reference to Jains and will be of interest to the reader:
"This king ( Akbar ) worships God and the Sun, and is a Hindu ( gentile ); he follows the sect of Vertei (i. e., Vratisa Jain Sadhu), who are like monks living in communities (congregationi) and do much penance. They eat nothing that has had life (anima), and before they sit down they sweep the place with a brush of cotton, in order that it may not happen (non si affironti) that under them any worm (or insect, vermicell) may remain and be killed by their sitting on it. These people hold that the world existed from eternity, but others say 'no', many worlds having passed away. In this way they say many silly things which I omit so as not to weary Your Reverence." I
(2)
Pinheiro wrote a similar letter on 6-11-1595. It contained the following information regarding Jains:
1. Vide Maclagan's article in the first issue of the " Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal ", volume 45, page 70.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
