Jain Journal 2005 01

SR No.: 520157
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 2005
Total Pages: 58
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 3 MB

Page 13

JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XXXIX. NO. 3 JANUARY 2005
he himself in the next couplet (688) certified Gopāla as Dharmavatsalu" or "devoted to religion i.e. Buddhism”.
In this context, another pertinent question may be raised (if Buddhism was in a decaying state or on the way of extinction) for whom did Gopāla construct so many vihāras, caitvas, ārāmas etc. as stated by the Buddhist author himself. That Gopāla constructed several monasteries and temples in Bengal and Magadha have been vouchsafed by the later writer, Lāmā Tāranātha. Lāmā Tāranātha, instead of depicting Gopāla's reign as an age of decay and extinction of the religion of the Buddha, contrarily had drawn a picture of the dawning of the future resurgence of Buddhism, glowed with the refulgence of the luminaries like Acarya Jnānagarbha, Ācārya Sākyamati, Ācārya Yašomitra, and Ācārya Pșthivibandhu on the eastern horizon of India."
It is also be noted that among the Pāşandis in Bengal the Buddhists had grown and become the most popular, most important sect. Next in importance among the Pāşandis were the Nirgranthas (Jainas) who were also growing in numbers in Bengal. The Ājivikas probably were non-existent as they were not heard of for a long time. The Kāpālikas seem to be a force not to be seriously reckoned with, the Cārvākas were heard of often but they were never organised into a religious sect.
In this context, a literal translation of the śloka (No. 687) would help in understanding the comparative position of different sects during Gopāla's reign in Bengal. The literal translation of the couplet (687) as done by the present writer runs as follows :
"Invested by the Pāşandis (heretical sects) on all sides, the land will be infested with different Brahmanical sects, upto the sea-shore.
Before explaining the contents of the Sloka (687), a few words must be expressed regarding the historical value of the book, "Āryamañjasri-mülakalpa”.
17. Tranātha's Ilistory of Buddhism in India, ed. Dp Chattopadhyaya.