________________
JULY, 1975
through their regular and effective preachings. As a result several dynasties of kings accepted Jaina faith14 and not only the Jaina community but also other people around were influenced by the cardinal principles of Jainism, which put a effective check to social vices like hunting, drinking, dicing, etc. The cumulative effect of all these processes helped the greater part of Karnataka to emerge, and remain till today, peace-loving, vegetarian and accommodative.
We can just imagine what healthy moral atmosphere in society could have been created by the qutotation from the Mulācāra used either in sermons for masses or in works of literary excellences15:
khāmemi savve jive savve jīvā khamantu me metti me savvabhuesu veram majjham na kenai.
which I would render in free verse as follows:
5
Forgive do I all beings ever! Forgive may they so me too!
Let me love one and all sure!
Let me be an enemy of none whosoever!
To conclude, Lord Mahavira's principles and teachings, inherited by his great grand disciples and propagated through the language and literature of Karnataka, have not only made them both rich and prosperous but also have added much to the general cultural wealth of the land.
Paper presented at the Seminar on 'Bhagavan Mahavira and His Heritage' held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 30th & 31st Dec. 1973 under the auspices of the Jainological Research Society.
Jain Education International
14 Here the Gangas, the Rastrakutas, the earlier Hoysalas, the Kongalvas, the Cengalvas, etc. are note-worthy. Some of the Eastern Calukya monarchs were Jainas by persuasion, a fact that reflects the universal appeal of Mahavira's gospel.
15 Like the Vaddaradhana, wherein the gaha is repeatedly quoted in the contexts of sermons and dogmatical discussions.
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
