Jain Thought and Culture

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 95

Social Life of the join Larty in Nontcenth Century Rajasthan
85
clion of being but activised themselves in the actions which did not lead to destruction of lifc They could be nicither good suordsmen nor good ploughmen Thuis made them to centralise their activity on trade and commerce which led thein to prosperity and sometimes powers Thus the Jains were just like otficr Mahajanas and still different from them There was, however, a strong feeling amongst the Hindus against the Jams as is evident from the saying that 'A Hindu had better be overtaken by a wild clephant than shieller hunselíin a Jain teniplc and to escape a tiger le may not run through the shadow of it' 39 This comment of Captain Powlett secms to be, based on old Sanshrit 1crses and not on contempoarary practices where Hindu and Jains of the same commumty married and made a happy home The Saravagis are the only ciception who did not marry in their old group of Khandelwal Mahajanas The versc and the observation of Captam Pouleit seems to be based on local rivalries here and there but this secling ncier allained the magnitude of communal rivalry as tlic rulers in all llie states ucre Rajputs with a few ciceptions and they neier differentiated between Hindus and Jains in extending their patronage
39 Powlett, Capt P W Gazetteer of the Bikaner State, Calcutta (1874), p 90 40 हस्तिना पीड्यमानोऽपि न गच्छेत् जैनमन्दिरम् ।