Sramana 2013 01

SR No.: 525083
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sudarshanlal Jain
Publisher: Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi
Publication Year: 2013
Total Pages: 98
Language: Hindi
Classification: Magazine, India_Sramana, & India
File Size: 14 MB

Page 79

72: śramaņa, Vol 64, No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 2013 materialize as the family backtracked from the promise.?' Hiravijaya Sūrī could even cure snake bites with his touching effect. 22 But the use of magical powers for healing purposes was cautious and guarded. Here one can certainly say that Jain pontiffs were very well aware of establishing their image as a pontiff and higher than that of a magician. In one of the meetings between the Emperor Akbar and Hīravijaya Sūrī in 1580s, mperor requested Hīravijaya Sūrī to remove the evil effects of planet Saturn from his sun sign Pisces. The Sūrī clearly answered that his discipline is religion and not astrology and refused to suggest any astronomical remedy for the purpose. It is very much clear that the Sūrī wanted to maintain his higher status of a religious authority then that of a mere astrologer.23 But the Jain pontiffs of lower status did not hesitate to use their miraculous power for the purpose of healing. To conclude, pre-modern societies embedded social power of rituals and the resulting processes of healing to their contemporary religious philosophies. In case of medieval Jainism providing relief to the individual and community through the agency of rituals remained a well established practice. Temples and their idols and their connection to the devotees not only fulfilled the obligation of charity (dāna) and public service but also helped to satisfy the individual's need for achieving the proper mental attitude for moral guidance by following the proper rituals. The Jain religious composers and authors intentionally emphasized upon the links between used rituals and the resulting healing to strengthen the ties and hierarchies between their gacchas and particular castes and clans. So the organized sects and their propagators performed rituals and acts of healing to enhance their influence as well to gain legitimacy. The ritualism of Jains and aspects of healing associated with it at times seems to be ambiguous as theoretically Jainism neither favoured miracles nor approved use of rituals for such purposes. Yet while considering ideological moorings of any individual, sect or institution either religious or secular, one has to remember that it never totally reflects into the empirical reality.