Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

Author(s): Shaktidhar Jha
Publisher: Bharat Bharti Bhandar

Page 81

The Manus and their periods
were governed by the Law of Nature.
Now, when we turn to the Brahmanıcal sources, we find that epics and the Puranas also tell the same tale rather more claborately These works say that in the earliest period of mankind the people were living in perfect peace ard harmony and were governed by their innate sense of duty 16
No one transgressed the simple law of nature Naturally there existed neither kingdom nor king nor the rod of punishment nor the dispenser of punishment But with the march of time situation changed and an element of degeneration set in in the society The people who were so long naturally bent on respecting one another's interest were overpowered by grievous apathy and consequently fell prey to delusion. Now, with their virtue having disappeared on account of the dcluded sense of discrimination, all the people got subjected to greed and began to appropriate to themselves what did not belong to them, and, thus, were possessed by another (vice) called passion 11 In fact this state is said to have brought in its train
10 तृप्तिं स्वाभाविकी प्राप्ता विषयेषु महामते । न तासां प्रतिघातोस्ति न द्वेषो नापि मत्सर ।
___-Marka P 49 14ff , Vayu P 3 52fi , MBH (G P) 3 149 15-16. 11 नियतस्त्व नरश्रेष्ठ शृणु सर्वमशेषत ।
यथा राज्यं समुत्पन्नमादी कृतयुगेऽभवत् ।। नय राज्य न राजासीन्न दण्डो नच दाण्डिकः । धर्मेणैव प्रजा सर्वा रक्षन्ति च परस्परम् ॥' पालयानास्तथान्योन्य नरा धर्मेण भारत । खेदं परममाजग्मुरतस्तान् मोह प्राविशत् ।। ते मोहवशमापन्ना मानवा मनुजर्षभ । प्रतिपत्तिविमोहाच्च धर्मस्तेषामनीनशत् ।। नष्टाया प्रतिपत्ती तु मोहवश्या नरास्तदा । लोभस्य वशमापन्ना सर्वे भारतसत्तम । अप्राप्तस्याभिमशं तु कुर्वन्तो मनुजास्तत । कामो नामापरस्तत्र समपद्यत वै प्रभो ।।
-AIBh XII 59 14-18ff,