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(6 ) prive ancient religions of their antiquity and sanctity; We ought to approach religions with reverence.
Gentlemen, perhaps you know the story of the boys and the frogs. Some boys were pelting the frogs with stones. An old frog raised its head and said: “O boys, what is play to you is death to us." Similarly, old Jainism may say: "O scholars, what is play to you is death to us." It is a trifle, no doubt, for a scholar to pronounce a certain opinion, but it may result in the death of the sanctity and the anti. quity of a certain religion.
The Jains also have been acting too mildly, They have been seeing their religion cruelly dealt with. They have been seeing themselves confounded with the Buddhists and the Charvakas. They have been seeing all sorts of obnoxious opinions pronounced with regard to themselves. But they have been tolerating all this patiently, never caring to say a word in their defence.
The jealousy between the Hindus on the one hand and the Jains and the Buddhists on the other, is also much to blame. But I should ignore it here. I ought rather to rejoice that under the benign rule of the British Government we have now offered to us an opportunity to meet in this Maha-Mandal, the Hindus, the Jains, and the Buddhists all together under one canopy, and a chance to defend our religions, and to make a true representation as to what those religions are. Indeed, I regard this moment a lucky, and this
