Introducing Jainism

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 80

INTRODUCING JAINISM
"Ahimsā is like a beneficient mother of all creatures, in the desert of Samsāra (mundane life) ahimsā works like a stream of nector to the forest-fire, ahimsā is course of rainclouds, for the beings tormented by the diseases, (ahimsā) is the best healing herb; and ahimsā is called the perpetual return of existence'. .
Hemacandra thinks that the protection to all animal beings (abhayadāna or karuņādāna) is the positive side of ahimsā which everyone should follow.
(vi) Ahimsā in History
Apart from the textual citations, there are historical references as well. Aster Jayasimha, Kumārapāla became the king of Gujarāt. Kumārapāla was initiated into Jainism in 1159 A.D. by Hemacandra. After that he made the Jaina religion a state religion in his country. He himself abandoned hunting, and prohibited the killing of animals, eating meat, drinking, gambling and animal combat. Such types of instances can be ransacked from the pages of history.
It is a fact worth mentioning here that in the reign of Akbar (1556-1605 A.D.) for his slahi Dinor "Religion of God", the Jains obtained a warrant "prohibiting the slaughter of animals” in all the places wherever the Jains practised their religion. 80
(vii) Conclusion
Though the Hindus, the Buddhists and the Jains have accepted the question of ahimsā, it is the Jains who have turned it into a system of philosophical order. The quintessence of ahimsā has made Mahāvīra an outstanding exponent of social equality and justice.
It seems somewhat paradoxical to think of any religion in this advanced age of science and technology. It may seem outlandish too to think of a religion at the present day which speaks of non-violence, when the spectacular contributions 80. James Burges, The Temples of Satrunjaya, Jain Bhawan,
Calcutta, 1977, p. 30.