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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision and Dhaniyal, too, offered obesance to the Acharya. In the palace were laid royal carpets, but Suriji refused to walk on it and this surprised Akbar to no end. The muni explained that Jainism prohibited walking on covered flooring, lest insects or ants beneath get killed. Akbar got the carpet removed and found countless ants and insects under it. Akbar learnt that the Acharya had walked the long distance and to compensate for the labour, he offered him gold and silver. The muni refused to take anything, but demanded that if at all the emperor wanted to give something, he should release the imprisoned birds and animals, prevent killing of fish in the Dabor lake, to prohibit killing of any type during Paryushan and to set free the prisoners languishing in jails for years. Akbar accepted all his demands and instead of eight days of Paryushan, he prohibited killing of animals for 12 days in Gujarat, Malva, Ajmer, Delhi, Fatehpur, Lahore and Multan and also in pilgrim centres in and around Girnar, Taranga, Shatrunjay, Kesariyaji, Abu, Rajgrihi and Sametshikhar. He was so impressed by the Acharya's concern for human welfare that he conferred the title of Jagadguru (world teacher) on him.
Hemchandracharya, a Jain Acharya who is known as kalikalsarvagna - one who is omniscient - occupies a place of pride in the spiritual history of India. King Kumarpal, inspired by his guru, performed many a deeds for which he is justly remembered. In Vikram Samvat 1199, at the age of fifty, he was crowned the king of Gujarat. Inspired by Hemchandracharya, he issued a proclamation - first of its kind - in favour of nonviolence. He declared : "Many people live by the sword and kill each other. It's an affront to the king. Lying is evil, extra
A Journey of Ahimsa marital relationship is a greater evil. But of all the evils, violence - killing a living organism - is the worst. Therefore, give up violence and professionals, who depend on it, will get free foodgrains for three years from the state's granary." He stopped the practice of offering animal sacrifice to goddess Kantakeshwari. Under his proclamation, known as Amari Proclamation, he closed down slaughter houses and put a stop to animal torture. The fact that, by and large, the people of Gujarat are non-violent and show love for animals is due, in large measure, to the deeds of king Kumarpal under the inspiration of Hemchandracharya.
During the period of Sheth Jagdusha, 108 buffaloes were sacrificed to propitiate the goddess. Jagdusha found the practice abhorrent and he placed himself on the first step leading to the temple and his son on the second step, for sacrifice instead of the buffaloes to see whether the goddess would be in rage or not. The goddess was not and his belief in non-violence triumphed. He fed the people of Gujarat, Sindh, Mewar, Delhi and Kandhar during three successive droughts. About 5 lakh people were fed daily in the 115 relief camps set up by him. He distributed enormous amount of grains among the people and roughly spent around Rs. 4 crore. The contemporay kings called him the saviour of people'. He was not only generous, but full of compassion which is the other name for nonviolence.
Sheth Motisha, born in 1838, set up a cattle shed in Mumbai for stray animals, cows, dogs, oxen, goats, sheep and birds who were kept there for treatment and were fed. Stray dogs were killed, but he set up kennels for them where they were taken care of.
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