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Acharya Hemchandras influence King Kumarpal accepted Jainism. He prohibited violence & the killing of any animals in his kingdom. King Kumarpal made many laws that nurtured Jain religion. Vegetarianism was found not only in Jains but also in all the people of Gujarat.
but always of the welfare of all citizens. However, some Brahmins were very jealous of Hemchandracharya's influence over the king & they tried to disgrace him & Jainism. They approached King Kumarpal & criticized, "Hemchandracharya is a very egoistic person & has no respect for Hindu Gods King Kumarpal was not ready to accept these accusations against his spiritual guru. To prove their point, the Brahmins requested King Kumarpal to invite the Acharya to the temple of Lord Shiva. They sought to humiliate the Acharya in front of the king since they believed that he would not go to the temple & bow down to Lord Shiva. When Hemchandracharya appeared, King Kumarpal said, “We will go to the temple of Lord Shiva." He accepted the offer without any hesitation. The Brahmins, barely able to conceal their joy, were delighted that their plan was working. To the surprise of the Brahmins. Hemchandra Acharya bowed down in front of Lord Shiva & said,
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Acharya Hemchandra composed several literary works consisting of many verses. He was the first to put non-violence on a political platform & he was the architect of the greatness & unification of Gujarat in the field of metaphysics, he was a Yogi. His work Yoga-shastra, a treatise on yoga, is very famous. People called him Kali-kal Sarvajna meaning all knower in the present era of darkness. He died in 1173 A.D. at the age of eighty-four. Jain culture still shines bright in Gujarat due to the influence of the literary works contributed by the great Acharya Hemchandra.
GANDHARS ACHARYAS
“I am bowing down to that God who has destroyed passions like attachment (Raga) & aversions (Dvesha) which are the cause of worldly life whether he is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, or Jin."
By this modest act, Hemchandracharya proved his noble attitude in his willingness to respect other faiths & pray to the virtues of other deities. This generous attitude is inherent in Jain philosophy. Jainism does not hold itself superior to other religions, but as peacefully coexisting with them. Under
Mother Pahinis sacrifice of her love for her son is very praiseworthy. It is a great gift to the jain religion. It is because of Hemchandracharya that kumarpalaccepted Jainism & became a Jain. It is because of this that Jainism & vegetarianism flourish in Gujrat. Hemchandracharyas contribution of numerous literary masterpieces is a treasure for us. Only by studying these books, we can pay tribute to him.
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