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History of Jainism with Special Reference to Mathurā
AD was the most flourishing in the history of Jainism, at least in south India,284 and the greatest contribution of Jainism to Indian culture was made in the period which extended from the first century BC to the tenth century AD.285
AHIMSA
The most important contribution of Jainism in the cultural field is the doctrine of ahiṁsā. Jainism preached the doctrine of ahimsă in a more extreme form than Buddhism, but it produced no emasculating effects upon its followers.286 Jainism produced men who turned ahissä into a philosophy of action; records exist which reveal that the Jaina kings and generals distinguished themselves on the battlefield, and also that they were not averse to warfare in pursuance of the Jaina precept of doing one's duty.287 A.S. Altekar writes,
In the face of the achievements of Jaina princes and generals of our period, we can hardly subscribe to the theory that Jainism and Buddhism were chiefly responsible for the military emasculation of the population that led to the fall of Hindu India.288
In fact, Jainism produced military generals like Kharvela in Kalinga,289 Camunda Raya and Santinatha in Karnataka,290 Kumarapala in Gujarat,291 Samsera Bahadur, etc., in Rajasthan.292 There is ample evidence of the fact
284. JSAI, p. 245; AOIK, p. 287. 285. Ibid., p. 229. 286. AOIK, p. 293; JSAI, p. 248. 287. Ibid., p. 293. 288. A.S. Altekar, cited in JSAI, p. 248. 289. AOIU, p. 213; CMHI, II, p. 115; EI, XX, pp. 71-89. 290. MJ, pp. 108ff; CHAI, III, pp. 289-92. 291. SFE, pp. 76-7. 292 JIR, pp. 218-20.
