________________
98
Essence of Jainism
This bore rewards in many spheres. Slaughter of animals to propitiate many gods and goddesses va festive occasions disappeared. This also laid the foundation for a wide movement to stop violence. Kumarapāla, the king of Gujarat after Siddharāja was Paramarhat. He was considered to be so in the real sense of the form because the nourishment that he gave to the spirit of non-violence, the propagation that took place at his hands, is unparalleled in history. The declaration of non-hurt - Anarighișaņā -of Kumārapāla became so very much renowned that so !nany Nirgranthas and their householder-pupils coatinued all their life-work with this declaration as the very aim of their life ! So many of the Nirgraathas had, before the time of Ācārya Hemacandra, initialed into Jainis, several flesh-eating communities and had installed Oswa!s, Porváls etc. in the Nirgrantha Sangha. Even the foreign groups like the Śakas could not save themselves from the spell of non viole.ce, Hiravijiya üri begged of emperor Akbar just this that he should agree to this amārighosaņā at least on a few days if not for ever. Jehāngir and others followed in the footsteps of Akbar. Even todły, it would not be easy so much to propagate non-violence through persons like the moghal emperors who were flesh-eaters.
Today also we find that it is only the Jain society that tries hard to stop violence to animals and birds from all spheres of life as far as possible. In this vast country so many communities professing different cultures live side by side. So many of the castes are meat-eaters right from birib ! Still we find all-round us a liking for non-violence in the common men. In the medieval India, so many saints and fakirs bave preached only non-violence and compassion. This is a proof of the fact that the roots of non. violence have gone very deep in the soul of India.
When Mahatma Gandhi vowed to infuse new life in the people of this country, he did so only on the basis of non-violence. He would hardly have succeeded in his mission if he could not acquire such a ready sphere of th: apirit of non-violence.
[ Darśana aur Cintar, pt. 2, pp. 75-78.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
