Monk and Monarch

SR No.: 034964
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vidyavijay
Publisher: Deepchand Banthia
Publication Year: 1944
Total Pages: 190
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 31 MB

Page 30

Even in Shri Harsha's days Indians were enjoying peace and plenty. This king used to give away his entire treasure in charity at Prayaga every fifth year. It was the sixth day of Shri Harsha's charity at Prayaga when the Chinese traveller Huen Tsiang came to India. Huen Tsiang was with the king at Prayaga. Five lacs of men had gathered at Prayaga including twenty kings. For 75 days officials were engaged in giving all the hoardings of the last five years in charity. The king gave away all his wealth, even his ornaments, pearl-necklaces, crowns, etc. He also had prohibited all animal-killing in his reign.
King Samprati was a Jain and had achieved a measure of success in spreading Jainism even outside India. Kings Shrenika, Konika and Chandra Pradyota, who were great devotees of Lord Mahavir, had done their best to glorify Jainism. Kings Ama and Shiladitya had preserved the greatness of Jainism, and the cause of non-killing championed by Vanaraj, Siddharaj and Kumarapala is known to all. Even ministers like Shakadala, Vimala, Udayana, Vagbhatta, Vastupala and Karmachandra were very famous as the champions of Jain religion.
Similarly there have been very able Jain scholars and teachers. Shri Bhadrabahuswami, who preached to the great Chandragupta Maurya, Umasvati Vachak, the author of 500 works, Haribhadrasuri, the author of 1444 works, Ratnaprabhasuri, who turned thousands of Kshatriyas into Oshvals, Kalikacharya, who deposed the unjust Gardabhilla and started an era, Bappabhatti, who earned great honour as the Guru of Amaraja, Udyotanasuri, the author of "Kuvalayamala", the great Siddharshi, the author of the matchless story 'Upamitibhavaprapanchakatha' in Sanskrit, Yashobhadrasuri, who was a mine of miraculous lores, Mallavadi, the great logician, Maladhari Hemachandra, the great commentator, Vadidevasuri, the matchless debator of Siddharaja's court, and the omniscient Hemachandracharya, who preached to the great king Kumarapal, established the principle of non-killing in eighteen countries and was the composer of three and a half crores of verses-all these flourished in India. Moreover great millionaires like Pethadsha, Zanzan, Zaghdusha, Jagsinh, Bhimashah, Javad, Bhavad, Sarang, Samarasha, Karmasha, and Khema Hadalia had spent not millions but billions in decorating India with Jain temples, in