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JAINISM AND KARNATAKA CULTURE
century ago, is valuable, especially as he says he derived his information from Panditācārya Swami, the guru of the Jainas, who claimed to be equal to the chief Pontiff at Śravaṇa Belgola.68 According to him, the Jainas denied the authority of the Brahmanical Vedas and their eighteen Furāņas; but their greatest authorities were Gommata-Sara, Trilokasāra, and Lubda-(Lubdhi?) Sara, These they considered as holy as the Brahmanical Vedas, and believed they were composed by Adi Brahma or Adiswara. Sometimes it is difficult to follow (whether Buchanan or his informant we can hardly say), when, for instance, it is also stated that their chief book was Yoga (written in Sanskrit with Kannada characters) explained by twentyfour purāṇas all composed by VrishabhaSayana (?) 68a" Who attained divine knowledge by long prayer.' However, there could not be the least doubt as to the nature of the popular beliefs. We transcribe below a few specimens:
"The gods of the Arhita are spirits of perfect men, who owing to virtue have become free from changes and are all equal in rank and power. They are called Jinêswara (the Lord Jina), Arhita (worthy ), or Siddha ('holy'?). These live in a heaven called Môcsha ( Môkṣa); it is by their worship only that future happiness can be obtained. The first Jina was Adi Parameswara who has 1008 names.
69
"The servants of the Siddhas are spirits of good men who live in an inferior heaven called Swargam. They enjoy happiness there according to their merits. Swargam is situated higher in the air than Mount Meru ('North Pole '); men ought to worship these as they possess the power of bestowing temporal gifts.
"
was a king who
He was a great
W Concerning Vishnu they say that he owing to good works, was born as Rāma. hero and conqueror, and finally became a Siddha or Jina. Maheswara or Śiva, and Brahma are only devatās inferior
r
68 Buchanan, op. cit., pp. 75, 79.
68a वृषभसेन the first Tirthankara ? 69 Ibid., pp. 76 and 412.
