Jain Journal 2005 01

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

Page 11

110
JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XXXIX, NO. 3 JANUARY.. 2005
In order to eradicate the growing influence of the Buddhists and the Jainas, i.e., the pāşandis from the society, the Brahmanical writers of the mediaeval age waged two-pronged attack against the two sects. On the one hand, they indentified the founders of the two Pāșandi sects (Jainas & Buddhists) as incarnations of Vişnu and thus took away fire from the thunder of the Pāsandis and on the other hand, strengthened their hate campaign against the two sects to weaken their hold over the society.
The orthodox Brahmanical writers hit the Kāpālikas with the same rod and scronfully called the Kāpālikas pāşanda. But the Kāpālikas claimed themselves to be the worshippers of Rudra-Siva, one of the Trinity of the Hindus.'
In course of time, the word pāşanda acquired more abusive and derisive meannings like "atheist" "blasphemer”, “irreligious”, “sinner" etc. and during the reign of the Pāla Kings, when Buddhism became a formidable rival of the Brahmanical religion, the Buddhists grew to be the eye-sore to the othodox Brahmins of Bengal. After the fall of the Pāla dynasty, the orthodox Brahmanical sectarians got an apportunity to heap upon the Buddhists all sorts of ignominies and insults and henceforth to the orthodox Brahmanical writers of Bengal the Buddhists and the pāsandas became synonymous.
In fact, when the term pāşanda acquired such derisive meanings as atheist, blasphemer, irreligious, sinners etc. in the medieval period, the term pāşanda was not only used by the orthodox Brahmins against non-Brahmanic sects, but the non-Brahmanical preachers and teachers also hurled it against the orthodox Brahmanical sectarians. Kabir, the celebrated preacher of the “Bhakticult” in some of his dohās stignatized the votaries of different Brahmanical sects as pākhandas (pāşandas).
Needless to say the followers of SreeChaitanya called the arthodox Brahmanical Hindus Pāşandins.
It is also very interesting to note that when the so-colled pāşandas quarrelled amongst themselves they, too, hurled this abusive word one against another.
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