Indian Culture and Jainism

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Vidya Samsthan

Page 33

suicide. Sallekhanā is undertaken only when the inevitability of death is a matter of undisputed certainty, while suicide may be committed at any time in the life under the spell of emotional disturbance or passionate attitude of mind.
The person performing Sallekhanā should make his earnest request to the members of his family and others around him to pardon him for the vicious deeds committed by him to affect them wittingly and unwittingly. He should also forgive them from the bottom of his heart for being troubled by them on certain occasions. Nourishment is to be renounced gradually, so that mental disturbance may be avoided. The persistence of equanimous mental state is the prime necessity. For this the person should devoted himself to meditation (Dhyāna) and bid farwell to his body. It will not be out of place to mention that Acārya Vinobā Bhāve adopted the method of Sallekhanā in order to renounce the body with equanimity of mind.
It is important to note that there are other factors contributed by Jainism for the enrichment of Indian culture.
1. Jaina Art 2. Jaina Literature
1. Jaina Art : At the outset, it may be noted that Jainism does not subscribe to the philosophy of 'Art for Art's sake'. Jaina Ācāryas have always exhibited their concern for the ethico-spiritual development of man. In conformity with this view, art must give ethico-spiritual message to mankind. This means that for jainism art is purposive and the purpose is to inspire people to translate into action the ideals of life and living. Thus Jaina Art has been essentially religious with ethical predominance, but this did not obstruct the manifestation of aesthetic consciousness of an artist dedicated to the Jaina values of life. Jaina art expresses itself in diverse forms, important of which are caves, temples, pillars, towers and paintings.
Jainas built cave dwellings for monks, so that they may get secluded places for their Sādhanā. A large number of rock-cut caves has been indentified in the Udayagiri and Khandagiri Hills in Orissa (2nd Cent. B.C.) the picturesqueness of their forms, the character of their sculptures and architectural details combined with their great antiquity, render
26
Indian Culture and Jainism