History of Early Ganga Monarchy and Jainism

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 50

aeonial commandments almost verbatem; they fought bravely and won many decisive battles, whole-heartedly approved the Jaina teachings, maintained sterling character, remained virtuous, followed vegetarianism, aimed at altruistic principles, distributed their wealth to the needy. A number of Ganga charters go to approve that they are celebrated for their unswerving fidelity to the plighted word. They continued to include the cognomen Dharma-Mahadhirāja and Satya-vākya in their PrasastiVācana, to aver their Guru Simhanandi.
Simhanandi/7
2.1.2 Simhanandi Acarya, who effectively functioned as a kingmaker, contrived to setup Madhava and Dhadiga as the rulers of the Ganga province (Ganga-Vaḍi). They grew from strength to strength, socially and politically, provided an uninterrupted pro-Jaina administration, practiced catholocity and did much for the state.
2.1.3 After Bhadrabahu, it was Simhanandi, who as an apostle illuminated the Jaina Church, as a strong influencing power in the sociopolitical landscape of south India, specially in Karnataka. Because of his dynamic personality, Jainism assumed new proportions. Simhanandi had a vision, a mission, an ambition plus a large number of valiant and loyal royal followers, who ably executed his sermons to achieve phenomenal success.
2.2 For the Jaina friars and nuns, tradition forbids any active participation in the politics of the land. Besides they should not hasten to side a new regime in a region (or city), where political revolution has just taken place but wait for the fresh party to settle and stabilise [Bṛhatkalpa-bhāṣya, 1. 37; Chedasūtras etc.,]. Nevertheless instances of Kalakācārya, Simhanandi, Sudattācārya are rather unusual, as such incidents do not stand against the spirit of the code of conduct laid down for Jaina ascetics. "The obvious aim behind this rule was not to create any difficulty with the monastic as well as the lay