Jain Journal 2005 04

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

Page 16

CHITTARANJAN PAL: POSITION OF THE JAINAS IN BENGAL
From the shady and cryptic accounts of "Arya Mañjuśrī- mūlakalpa" it seems that except the Tirthikas or the followers of Brahmanical religion, other non-Vedic heretical sects i. e. the Buddhists were on the verge of extinction.
The decaying religious picture of Buddhism as depicted by the Chronicle (Arya Mañjuśri-mūla-kalpa) must be taken with a grain of salt. The position of the Buddhists in Bengal was not so gloomy as the author of "Arya Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa" would have us to believe. It is true that the Brahmanical religious sects which were in a dominant position all over North India, were also growing in strength in different parts of Bengal. But that does not mean that Buddhism was in a decaying condition during the dark age of "Matsyanyaya".8
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A Buddhist royal family i. e. the Khadgas was found ruling in Eastern Bengal covering the whole of "Samatata" and a part of "Vanga" from 650-700 A.D. The accounts left by Chinese travellers "It-sing" and "Sengchi" make it clear that Buddhism was growing from strength to strength and widening its spheres of influence. It might be possible that Buddhists, being enfeebled in some isolated areas, deserted some monasteries, but in many regions of ancient Bengal, Buddhism was in a vigourous state. The persecutionary measures of Śaśānka failed to extinguish the fire and fervour of the followers of the Buddha for their religion. Similary the hostility of the Tirthikas during the period of Matsyanyāya failed to dampen their zeal for the religion. Had not been the Buddhists, a force to be reckoned with even in the dark days of Matsyanyāya, Gopaladeva, the founder of the Pala dynasty, would not have dared to espouse the cause of Buddhism. As rightly remarked by Dr. R.C. Mazumder, "The establishment of the Buddhist Pāla dynasty in Bengal about the middle of the eighth century A.D. may not, therefore, be a mere fortuitous event but was facilitated by the growing dominance of Buddhism in this region." So many, but not all of the monasteries in
8. N.R.Ray's Bāngālīr Itihasa (Adiparva) p. 382
9.
Watters, Yuan Chwang (Part II). Watters.
10.
R. C. Mazumdar - History of Ancient Bengal p. 524