Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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While copying them he started realizing the seriousness of religion. The principles of nonviolence, restraint and austerities, as mentioned in the scriptures and the perverse conduct of the monks sparked in him the seeds of rebel. He started making two copies of the agamas, one for the muni and other for himself. In this way he acquired 32 agamas. When Muniji came to know of Lonkā making another copy he stopped giving him the other scriptures. Lonkā started reading agamas, which he had with him. On understanding the purity of religion and the perverseness that idol worship is not found in agamas he set to reform the religion. Through discussions with many people he attracted a group of them, a few of which became his followers.
According to the second version, Lonk, was a poor person from Limbdi in Saurashtra. He was orphaned at the age of ten. The name of his father was Hemashah and mother was Ganga. Coming to Ahmedabad he met muni Jñānaji under whom he started studying Jain religion. Muni also obtained a job for him in a temple where Lonkā worked as an accountant. Lonkā had once a quarrel with the monks of that temple concerning the accounts. This behaviour of the monks shocked him. He, therefore, went out of the temple and started condemning those monks for their violent behaviour and for not having any dayā (compassion). It so happened, that his Muslim friend, who was passing by, appreciated his act and even provoked him against idol worship. Lonkā started preaching his views on dayā and non-violence. He got some followers and his sect came to be known as Dayāgaccha or Lorikāgaccha.
Which ever of the two versions is true, the fact remains that he has written in the medieval Gujarati language and criticized the popular trends of idol worship and temple building and criticized the prevalent Śramanācāra.
2.1 Literature Lonka's literature made available by Pt. Dalsukha Malvania consists of two parts - 58 bolas giving his views on what he considers to be true religion and 54 bolas appended to the main work criticizing the popular trends followed by the community during his time in the name of religion. Lonkā in his bola 17 quotes from Daśavaikālika-sūtra, Adhyāya first a statement describing the true Jain religion as enunciated by the tīrthamkaras.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
