Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1916 Book 12

Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference

Page 168

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There have been Jain kings, generals and soldiers not oniy mythical, but historical as well and the Jain acharyas make no mean mention of them their sacred books; the do not call them ( Mithyatyi ) - heretics because of the blood they sbed in wars. There have also been person, although not admitted by history nt, recognised as Jains in the Jain Shastras, who took part : the fiercest wars of thos: times-Chakravarties who fought for empires.
History shows that Chiura Gupta Mauriya, tha ronowned emporor of Northern lia, was a Jain. His terror was enough to lead Selucus to make a treaty with him,-- “ it is not wise to keep on bad lins with such a might, foe.” This was in the 4th centu B, C., only two centurie; after the Nirvan of Mahavira, th Ahinsaist Teacher. Evei. in the time of Prithviraj, tha ari ir of one of his foes from Gujrat were led by an Ahinsaist Jain Bhamashah, the saviou. of Mewar, was a Jain Oswal; He isid all his hoarded wealt). at the disposal of Rana Pratap t ollect men and munition for war against the Mogal en ror Akbar, in order to maintain the independence of his nar ye land. Again Kumarpa a king of Gujarat ( 12th Centui had Hemchandrachary - the Jain encyclopeadist as his Gur ven that Ahinsa ist Guru never asked him to retire from his kingly duties so as to escape from Hinsa. These are some of the instances of mer whose religion the modern historians have thought it worti. their while to mention. India hari innumerable kings; whai religion they professed can he gathed only from the Shastras, and the Jain Shastras describesny Jain kings, person : of flesh and blood, who reigned over the various kingdoms in Behar, Malwa, Deccan etc.
Even so late as the 16th and 17th Centuries, we fino in the Jain historical studies by S. Tank, in the Indiai: antiquary and in the Todds Ra than, as well as in the household tales of Indian braver in Rajputapa--alas they are becoming scarcer with the introduction of modern historie of Rajput defeats and Hindu retrists-Oswal Jains serving