Jain Stories 01

Author(s): Mahendramuni, K C Lalwani
Publisher: A B Jain Shwetambar Terapanth Samaj

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vifually lost, like many other good things of the old world, there is no reason why it should be rejected as a myth, since we have at any time present in India as well as outside many cases where an individual bas been able to Tecollect his past life and give dependable evidence in support of it Though there is hardly any Jaina monk living now who can reveal the past life of any questioner, there are quite a few, including the present author, who have demonstrated on many occasions a long memory through their avadhana technique
Quite a number of Jaina stories are fictitious, a creation by some teacher or commentator to drive home a point or a difficult theme or a terse tenet, but quite a vast number deals with the life events of monks, acharyas, sravakas, sravikas, or even people who are known to history, and in so far as this has happened, these stories may serve as a good source material of history A large number of stories are connected with events in the life of Mahavia, and they are highly instructive to the reader. The lives of great teachers and monks have always been a source of inspiration to others, and when these have been catered through the medium of short stories, they have reached a much wider and a cross section of the members of the public
When in the course of my own studies of the Agamas, I became aquainted with the existence of such a fabulous crop of short stories, I set myself, under the inspiring guidance of my senior colleagues, notably Muni Nagarajji of the Terapanth sect, to the task of bringing this harvest. within the reach of the common man My endeavour was, therefore, directed to the faithful reproduction of these stories in readable Hindı. As I proceeded in my work, new vistas opened in front of me so that by now it has been possible to print 27 parts in Hindi and many more parts will follow in years to come. I was encouraged by the reception given to my labour and this made me think of