Jain Journal 1991 04

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

Page 15

APRIL, 1991
Henry Court as History of the Sikhs (1888). This is an interesting book since it contains "narratives of the ten Gurus, history of the Sikhs from the rise of Mahārājā Ranjit Singh to the occupation of the Punjab by the English, a short resume of the customs, rites, songs, and proverbs of the Sikhs, and twenty discourses regarding the events in the life of Guru Nanak, taken from the Janam sakhi, or Life of Nanak."
159
The following selection comes from the chapter "Rites and Customs" of the various castes in Punjab, as seen by the author of the original work (date unknown). We offer this excerpt here as a comparison of the description of Jains as seen by the Sikhs and as portrayed in the Sikh texts or scriptures.
Both of these descriptions give an orthodox, stereotypical picture of the Jain sects; the picture being described is not of the Jain laity but of the mendicants who live a very severe life. The Jains are commonly called Saraugis. The text in Court's book is all in one paragraph, but we have divided it into shorter paragraphs for the sake of easy reading and understanding. The reference superscripts are the ones given by Court. They have been left intact in the quoted text:
Now, in this country, there are people called Saraugis; their account is as follows: they are called Jainis, that is to say, they follow the religion of the most holy man called Jin. These people pull out all the hair of their head every six months, and always fasten a strip of white cloth over their mouths 104 They carry with them a broom of white wool, which they, in their language, call rajoharana; and whenever they wish to sit down, they first clean the spot with the broom, so that no insect may come under them, and be killed. These people do not possess much goods, clothes, vessels, or money; but are very great hermits and ascetics.
They keep very severe fasts, for often they do not bring food to their mouths for a month at a time; when these people go to beg, then, taking into consideration matters which are very difficult to understand,105 they take food; and, although other people do not indulge in the custom of giving them bread and water (food), still the tradespeople, who are their disciples, and know all their customs, do service to them with great affection.
These people regard the slaying of an insect as a very serious crime,