Jainism its Distinctive Features and Their Impact on our Composite Culture

Author(s): Kr De Karnataki
Publisher: Z_Vijay_Vallabh_suri_Smarak_Granth_012060.pdf

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ACARYA VIJAYAVALLABHASŪRI COMMEMORATION VOLUME
the injunction to taking food before dusk in the evening show how elaborately and practically Ahimsā has been made to enter into the day-to-day lives of its votaries. The singular uncompromising insistence on Ahimsā is the special and exclusive feature of Jainism.
The ethical code of Jainism is a most beautiful blend of acāra and vicāra (conduct and reflection). Almost all the members of the usual group of virtues adumbrated regarding conduct or acăra (like satya, ahimsā, brahmacarya, asteya, aparigraha) owe their immense importance mainly to Jaina tradition. Jainism tackles the inculcation of all these virtues in its votaries through a very wise and practical hierarchical scale of aņu-vratas, mahā-vratas, etc. On the side of reflection or vicāra, it is Jainism which has stressed right from its very beginning tattva-cintana. Probably, it was Jainism which originally instituted the order of yatimunis wholly devoted to tattva-cintana to the exclusion of all other activities. It is due to this insistence on vicāra or tattva-cintana in Jainism that we find that it is Jainas who have been almost the sole originators in literary compositions in most of our languages. Especially is this so in Kannada, the language of Karnatak; invariably the history of Kannada literature starts with a Jaina-yuga or Jaina-period. Moreover, we have a very creditable and pleasing practice amidst the Jainas to encourage production and propagation of literature through liberal grants of land and money : this is solely due to the ever-insistent tone of Jainism on tattvacintana. Very recently, in Kannada, the work, Jaina-dharma, a compendium or a fairly detailed manual on Jainism (a pioneer and laudable publication in 1952) by Aņņārāya Miraji has seen the light of day owing to śāstra-dana of very many Jaina men and women. There have been great luminaries amidst Jainism who have contributed ably and subtly to very many chapters in the history of Indian philosophy. Mention may be made here of the distinctive and very able elaboration of the doctrine of Karma in Jaina metaphysics.
Such seem to be the salient features of Jainism as a distinct tradition stretching its roots into the dim past of our country's history. It is true that during its very long existence and development, Jainism has necessarily been influenced by its contact with other traditions and, consequently, it has grafted on to its stem some other branches. All these later additions and modifications we have not touched upon nor stressed as our purpose is mainly to grasp the essentials of Jaina standpoint. We shall now