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No. I. 1
Doubts may arise as to whether such a faith were not too intellectual, too rigid, or ascetic to be practical; whether like advaita it does not tend to withdraw man from the material arts of life and civilisation; and whether after all, it were not too difficult or too esoteric for the masses to follow. It is, however, the most pitiable and even contemptible aspect of Indian life to day that we mistake the indulgence in the luxuries of life to be the raising of its standard and keep the mass mind in perpetual ignorance of the vital issues of life and its ennobling disciplines and even nourish it on the religion of formalistic ritualism on the theory of salvation by actions karma or on ecstatic emotionalism on the theory of salvation by grace or Bhakti and Prapannata. To my mind ancient South Indian Jainism in its prestive purity and essence seems to have been a living protest against these forms of religious practice, and had successfully trained even the lowest minds in the knowing, understanding and appreciating pursuit of religion as the culture of the Spirit and the conquest of the flesh as distinguished from ritualism or ecestatic sentimentalism.
A practical religion and discipline
for all.
ANCIENT SOUTH INDIAN JAINISM.
And first, that it is deliberately intended for all and sundry and that the great Jaina rishis of old acquired their great spiritual gifts to share them with their pupils, both lay and clerical, to train them to become as spiritually great as themselves, there is ample evidence in the Sravana Baegola Inscriptions on which the present paper is based A few instances will suffice :
7.
(a) That learned muni of great acumen obtained many celebrated disciples whom he taught in order to purify the world and diffuse merit in all parts,who, putting faith in their quru, imbibed from him all learning as a calf sucking milk from the cow of plenty and growing strong with that nourishment became celebrated everywhere "-1
The outlook of Jaina Siddhanta
Charyas.
(b) "a fire to the forest of family cares.... a summit of uplifted honour, the cow of plenty in bestowing wealth, the remover, of the sorrows of those in the power of the enemies of sin and ignorance was Srutamuni, the chief Suri, pure in morals untouched by women." "
(c)
He to whom Shree Matisagara was guru, that creator of moonlike fame; he to whom the worshipped Vadi Raja, head of the gana, was fellow student, that Dayapala Vrati was
1 Ibid No. 108, dated A. D. 1433. 2 Ibid No. 105, dated A. D. 1398.
