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The Putānas on Sacramental, Ethical and Philosophical Planes
255
to this inasmuch as these declare Ahimsa or Anjšamsya as the greatest virtue 91 Now, what makes difference between the cpic-Purāņic concept and the Jaina one is not the concept but its application to the practical life To be clear on the point, the Jaina religious thinkers carried the doctrine of Ahimsa to its extremes, whereas the epic-Purānic authors accepted it with some moderation
Nevertheless, a perusal of the Jaina Puranas reveals that the extremes with regard to the doctrine of Ahursā have been avoided by the Purānic authors to some extent. The point is corroborated by the accounts of the exploits of the Saläkapuru. şas, who, like thc heroes of the epic and the Puranas of the Brahmanical school, are represented as having actively participated in bloody battles and annihilating wars Among the personages particular reference may be made to Padma (Rama) the cighth Baladeda, Balarama the ninth Baladeda and Neminātha, the twenty-second Tirthankara, who, according to the Jaina tradition, attain salvation after they renounce the world and worldliness. Thus, the authors seem to subscribe to the epic. Purānic view that violence is not always unrighteous and immoral and that killing is sometimes essential for the preservation of good values in society. Philosophical Aspects
The philosophical and didactic sections of the works in question betray clear sign of the influence of the Gula And as in other cases so also with regard to the present aspect, the influence on the different works is of varying degree Although we cannot claim to do as much justice to the topic as it may claim, yet the notices of some of the common points between the two traditions will be of some consequence.
To mention a few points, those sections of the MP, which are devoted to the description of the behaviour and discipline of the Jaina Yogins, have many clements in common with the 91 • g fiHI THÌ ĐỂ
-MBh XIII 118 1 प्रानृशस्य परो धर्म
-Ibid., III 373 76,
