Jain Journal 1976 01

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

Page 39

JANUARY, 1976
125
Cultural Impact of Jainadharma and Its Mission in Eastern India
Jainadharma had less influence in East India than in South India. Bengal's social order was a different one. But it should be noted that the whole of Bengal was one day under the influence of Jainadharma before the advent of Buddhism and later on Bengal came under the cultural impact of Brahmanadharma or rather Hindudharma as is evidenced by the epigraphic and literary records that there flourished Tamraliptika Sakha, Kotivarsika Sakha, Pundavardhanika Sakha120, etc. of Jaina Sangha. Besides, Bengal had produced the great Jainacarya Bhadrabahu, the Guru of king Candragupta Maurya who presided over the All India Jaina Sangha as its spiritual head. The archaeological remains of Jaina culture found in different parts of Bengal highly speak themselves for the cultural impact of Jainadharma on the life of the people in the early stage of its culture when Magadhi Prakrit was gradually developing into a full-fledged modern Bengali language by uniting them as a new national community with its glory under the Palas.
Cultural Impact of Jainadharma and Its Mission in West India
It is to be noted that the conception of Hindu God was borrowed by the Jaina mission of West India. Besides the direct and tangible Hindu elements have been imported there. But primarily Hinduism of North India was the mediator of all cultural borrowings of an West India. Thus, when Jainism made its appearance in West India during the 9th century B. C. it was first imported through Aristanemi's Sauryapuri mission121 and later on about the end of the third or the beginning of the second century B. C. from Samprati's Ujjain mission. It was essentially North Indian Jainism that influenced West India. Here as elsewhere, cultural borrowing occurred, for typical reasons, on the initiative of the government. The much celebrated prince Dhruvasena122 who consummated the process certainly and particularly aimed at taming and disciplining the subjects. Further the Jaina monks served the government as advisers123_a function they often monopolized as late as the end of the thirteenth century124. In addition, the prince
120 Kalpasutra, p. 255. 121 Ibid., p. 233. He took his diksa at Dvaravati and attained kevala-jnana at Raiva
takagiri in Gujarat. Aristanemi's whole missionary activity first started in West
India (particularly Gujarat) and then spread to Uttarpradesh, etc. 122 King Dhruvasena of Valabhi patronised Jainadharma as a devout Jaina king. He
consummated the process of Jaina Culture. 128 Silaguna Suri made Vanaraja Chaora king of Gujarat, Hemcandra was the adviser
of Kumarapala in the 13th century A.D. See Pattavali Samuccaya, II, pp. 40-41. 124 Ibid. Kumarapala was advised by Hemcandra Suri on all matters.