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Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jaina Mythology
9 Mandrhat&207
A Brähmana should endeavour to command the respect from others, "for one, excelling in virtues, is venerated, praised and worshipped by the great "108 10 Prajāsambandhāntara109
Under this head a Brāhmana is advised to be in touch with the people to keep them firmly devoted to the Jaina faith.
It 18 interesting to note that of the above privileges of a Brāhmana those put forth as Patratva, Avadhyata, Adandyatd and Manarhatā are identical in spint with the Brahmanical claim to the four special privileges as laid in the vedic literature under the following heads110 .
(1) Arcanā (Veneration), (ii) Dana (gifts and presents), (111) Ajeyatā (invincibility, 1.e Freedom from oppression
and injury), and (iv) Avadhyata (Freedom from capital punishment).
It is obvious that the expressions, Varnottamatta and Vyapaharesta are suggestive of the same Brahmanical claim to supremacy over the remaining classes as is put forward in the Brahmapical works 111 Not only that, the Brahmanas, on account of their moral and spiritual excellence,- both real and ima107, MP. 40204-6 108 "Tu fe 7177 FEITGaret. Jou F Å I"
-bed , 30 204b. Compare, for example, MBh XIII 33 6-7ff 109 MP. 40 207-211 110 Sat Br II 576, Au VI 17 19, toth quoted in RK Chaudhary,
Problems and Methods of Socio-Economic History of Ancient India in Nero
Perspective, JBRS, Vol LIV, Parts I-IV (1968), p 103 111 As a matter of fact, in the epic and the law books of the Brahmanical
school, this claim to supremacy of the Brāhmana class has found expre«sion with greater force than in the vedic literature The Mahābhārala is full of abortations directing tbe non Brahmapa members of the society to obey and honour thc Brahmoras ungrudgingly, “for, a twicebom (Brahmana) is, indccd, the teacher, the cldest and most excellent of all the classes" (Taf Taufit ICS. a fast
—MBh XII 72 11b), Also scc Manu II 20, X 3,
