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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
The author even allows the monks to take resort to falsehood: to avoid contempt ( uḍḍaharakkhana )1 of their religion.
History of the popular religions of India is a story of royal patronage and protection and the Jaina monks too were conscious of this fact. The innumerable epigraphical and literary references speak of the royal patronage offered to the adherents of Jaina faith during different periods. In the earliest times the monks were totally barred from keeping any contact or becoming intimate with the kings or with the persons in authority. The Nisitha Sutra2 forbids a monk to see the king or to have friendship or to show profound respects to him or his. officers or to attend the royal functions and ceremonies like coronation. The rules apparently remained the same even at the time of the Curni, yet there are sufficient grounds to believe that monks always tried to influence the kings and royal. officers for enhancing the prestige of their religion (gaurava,3 prabhavṛddhi, tirthavṛddhi). Monks used to keep friendly relations with the kings,5 State officers, king's relatives and with other influential persons to pacify the angry king, for selfprotection during the time of agitation and tumult, to go out safely during the reign of a prejudiced king or at times of siege, to procure food and shelter, to influence the king at times of religious disputations and for various other needs of the Church. Many of them gave religious discourses in the courts of the kings and even in their harem; anything that could displease the king was to be avoided by them and the persons dear to the king (rajavallabha) were to be initiated. References make it clear that in spite of the inherent denial to the outwardly help, the monks aspired to have good rela-
1. NC. 1, p. 113.
2. NC. 4, pp. 1-18.
3. NC. 2, p. 262.
4. NC. 2, p. 268.
5. NG. 2, pp. 232-33, 267.
6. NC. 2, p. 223.
7. NG. 2, p. 435.
8. NC, 2, p. 181.
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