Jaina Granth Bhandars in Rajasthan

Author(s): Kasturchand Kasliwal
Publisher: Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Mandir

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Janna Gianth
Bhandars in Rajasthan
day, the Ācāryas and the Head of Community decided that the temples should be the place where these manuscripts should be preserved as they were the only place where the manuscripts could be kept safe and could be easily accessable to the scholars. The place began to be called by the name of Grantha Bhandārs 1.e. Storehouses of knowledge They are also called Sastra Bhandāts.
SĀDHU'S WORK
The Jaina monks gave their best support to the establishment of the Grantha Bhandārs as they realised their great educational and social value. Since Ācārya Bhadra Bāhu upto 16th Century A.D there were powerful personalities among them and their influence on the public was tremendous They used to travel through out the country on loot and explained 10 the Jaina intelligentsia the importance of the sacred texts Acārya Kunda Kunda, Unāswami, Sidhasena, Devanandi, Devardhiyanı, Aklank, Haribhadra Sūri, Jinasena, Gunabhadra and Hemcandra etc, not only billed the Sastra Bhandars with their own work but preached the importance of writing down the manuscripts to the masses They took initiative in the foundation of these Bhandārs. They spent the best part of their life in establishing these store houses of knowledge for the posterity'
They explained to the masses that writing down of the manuscripts is not only essential from the educational ou religious point of view but it is also a great source of Caining goodness (Punya) for future If we read the prasasts which ar: wutlen at the end of the manuscripts, we shall see that most of the manuscripts have heen copied out due to the result of teachings of these monks The Acaryas pret
(1) राहु मत्थ जो लिहइ लिहावड, पढइ पढावह कह कहावः । जा गाफ गणारि एह मगिग भावइ, पुगाह अहिउ पुण्यफल व पावइ ।।।
--Vaddhiman Kaha by Narsenal य लेग्वयन्ति जिन शासनस्तकानि, व्याख्यानयन्ति च पहन्ति व पाठयन्ति । धवत रक्षाविधी च समाद्रयन्ते, न देवमयशिवशर्म नरा लभन्ते ।।
--Upded Talangını
(2) ये ले क्यान्न मकल मुधियो नुयोग शब्दानुशासनमशेषमल कुनीश्च ।
छन्दोमि शास्त्रमपर च परोपकारसम्पादनकानपुरणा पुरुषोत्तमास्ते ।।१४।। कि कि नैनं कृत न कि विवपिन दानप्रदत्त न कि । केवाऽऽपन्न निवारिता ननुमता मोहागणवे मज्जताम् ।।६५।। ना पुण्य किमुपाजिन किमु यशस्तार न विस्तारित । सत्कल्याणकलापकारामद य. शामन लेखिनम ||६||