Jain Journal 1991 04

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

Page 24

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JAIN JOURNAL
concern for God). He chided them for "plucking out their hair", lest it harbor insects and threaten them with injury, and for "carrying brooms along to sweep their way," lest they tread some life to death. And, said he, they "drink their water dirty", fearing that to strain it might injure whatever life was in it, yet oblivious of the life they actually destroyed by drinking it. He deemed them an unprogressive sect, neither “Jogis, Jangams, Qzăis nor Mullas", whose food Brāhmaṇs would not touch, whom Hindus generally would not recognize--for want of any tilak on their foreheads, possibly - and who were virtually denied access to "the sixty-eight" sites of Hindu pilgrimage. But now and then a Jain yielded to Napak's arguments and even sought to join his company, as he went about, including these Jain centers in his itinerary'.
(Archer, John Clark (1946), The Sikhs, pp. 97-98).
It is interesting and useful to compare Archer's description with that of another western scholar, Macauliffe (1909), who states :
The Guru arrived at a Sarāuagi or Jain temple, which was much frequented, Narbhi, the Jain priest, went with his disciple to visit him. The Jains attach an exaggerated value to life in every form. The Jain priest heard that the Guru had not the same tender scruples on the subject, and began to catechize him. “Eatest thou old or new corn ? (that is, dost thou eat corn with worms in it or not ?)' Drinkest thou cold water ; shakest thou the trees of the forest to eat their fruit ? Who is thy guru, and what power hath he to pardon thee since thou violatest all rules and destroyest life ?'
The Guru in reply uttered the following pauri : When the True Guru is merciful, faith is perfected. When the True Guru is merciful, man shall never grieve. When the True Guru is merciful, man shall know no sorrow. When the True Guru is merciful, man shall enjoy divine pleasure. When the True Guru is merciful, what fear hath man of Death ? When the True Guru is merciful, he ever bestoweth the nine
treasures.
When the Guru is merciful, man is absorbed in the True One.