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जैनविद्या एवं प्राकृत : अन्तरशास्त्रीय अध्ययन
at important towns, cities and pilgrim places. The Aushadhalayas, i. e. dispensaries, provide free medicines to the afflicted persons. Along with the dispensaries for men, the Jainas conducted special institutions known as Pinjarapols for the protection and care of helpless and decrepit animals and birds. In unusual times of flood and famine these Pinjarapols carry out various activities for animal protection. There is hardly any town or village of Gujarat or Rajasthan, where Pinjarapol is not present in some form or other. In the spread of education the Jainas took a leading part in the education of the masses. Various relics show that formerly Jaina ascetics took a great share in teaching childern in the southern countries, viz. Andhra, Tamilnadu, Karnatak and Maharashtra. In this connection Dr. A. S. Altekar rightly observes (in his book 'Rashtrakutas and their Times') that before the beginning of the alphabet proper the children should be required to pay homage to the deity Ganesha, by reciting the formula 'Shri Ganeshaya Namah', is natural in Hindu society, but that in the Deccan even-today it should be followed by the Jaina formula 'Om Namah Siddham' shows that the Jaina teachers of medieval age had so completely controlled the mass education that the Hindus continued to teach their childern this originally Jaina formula even after the decline of Jainism. Even now the Jains have rigorously maintained the tradition by giving freely these Chaturvidha Dana, i. e. four types of gifts, in all parts of India. In this manner social welfare activities have been continued to the present day.
Department of Sociology Shivaji University Kolhapur, Maharastra
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