Jain Journal 1985 04

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

Page 47

Kalaldevi
MiskiLAL JAIN
In the 10th century A.D, the name of Siddhanta Cakravarti Acarya Nemicandra commanded tremendous respect in the holy land of India. Whatever he said was scripture, whatever he wished was order.
The valiant Camundarai was a great disciple of Acarya Nemicandra. He was also the commander-in-chief of king Raimalla of the Ganga dynasty. The name of Camundarai was a terror even to many a brave heart. He was an epitome of honesty and duty. He had the greatest faith in the teachings of the Jinas. He even did not touch his food without seeing the image of the Lord. He was so kind that even he was ready to rescue small insects carried away in the flow of the water. But when it was a question of duty, he was as hard as stone and the valiant Camundarai did not hesitate for a second to cut off the heads of his enemies. Highly impressed by his bravery, the rulers of the Ganga dynasty honoured him with such titles as “Vira-martanda', 'Ranarangasimha' 'Bhuja-vikrama' etc. At the same time, his religious feelings also knew no bounds. Hence the common people used to call him 'Samyakratnakar' In fact, Camundarai had the dual personality of valour and non-violence. It was only at his request that Acarya Nemicandra wrote his great work on Jainism. His deep love for literature prompted him to patronise the great Kannada poet of the kingdom. The Jain literary world will ever remain grateful to Camundarai for his untiring effort in this direction.
It was past noontime. The heat of the sun was declining and he was gradually moving towards the west. It was time for Acarya Nemicandra to come to a Jain temple of South India to deliver his sermon there. The great Sramana entered the temple. The people assembled gave him a great ovation. The king Raimalla, General Camundarai, merchants, noble men and commoners all came forward to bow down at his feet. The Acarya solemnly gave his blessings, 'Have unfaltering faith in the teachings of the Jinas' and took his seat. The audience once again burst out in applause. The Acarya raised his hand. The audience became silent. Then the Acarya began to speak :
“Thousands of years ago this earth was blessed by the holy presence of the very first Tirthankara Lord Rsabhadeva. His world famous sons Cakravarti Bharata and Bahubali followed the footsteps of their father