Ahimsa the Ultimate Winner

Author(s): N P Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 61

A large number of ruling monarchs also embraced Jain religion. Among them were prominent rulers like King Chetak of Vaishali, King Siddhartha of Kundagram, King Shrenik Bimbisar of Magadh, King Udayan of Sindhu-Sauveer, King Shataneek of Vatsa, King Dasharath of Dasharna, King Jeevandhar of Hemagund (Karnataka), King Vijayasen of Polashpur, King Ajatshatru of Champa, King Jeetshatru of Kalinga, King Udiyodaya of Shoorsen, King Jaya of Kampilya, Prince Ardak of Iran and so on.
Mahavir emerged as a bold and courageous advocate of nonviolence not as a religious ritual or custom but as a way of life for individuals as well as community. The conflict-weary and bloodshed-fatigued rulers as well as their public saw in Mahavir a Saviour because he brought the message not of hostility, rancour and revenge but tolerance, harmony and peaceful co-existence. Greatness of Mahavir
Mahavir stands out as the one who gave a dynamic thrust to the Jain philosophy in a highly imaginative, systematic and organized manner. He enunciated Jain philosophy in its unique four-in-one combination of a religion of non-violence, a religion of environment, a religion of peace and a religion of detachment.
His message of "Ahimsa Paramo Dharmaha" acquired an eternal appeal as a wide ranging culture for human beings and a sure recipe for preserving and enhancing ecological equilibrium of the universe. More than ever before, Mahavir's teachings have a soul-awakening relevance in contemporary times when humanity is battling with human-created tensions and conflicts and natural disasters and catastrophes. Mahavir preached:
"The instinct of self preservation is universal. Every animate being wants to live and avoid untimely death. Nobody likes suffering. Therefore, do not inflict suffering on anybody. This is non-violence; this equality.”
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
(40)