Book Title: Jains Through Time
Author(s): Shilapi Sadhvi
Publisher: Veerayatan

Previous | Next

Page 34
________________ The Jains through Time had the roof and upper part of the front wall When I contemplate the splendour of of this temple covered with inscriptions in Kharvel's achievements, I wonder how this Ardhamagadhi and Apabhramsh (the Jain man, who had taken the twelve vows of a dialect of Prakrit). The inscriptions are in 17 shravak (layman), focused such lines and cover an area of 84 square feet and concentration on his spiritual purification are written in Brahmi script. These rock and performed his duties as a king so inscriptions are embellished with many magnificently, could still manage to inspire auspicious Jain symbols like the swastika, the and organise the making of such nandavartta and the ashoka-vriksha, and begin incomparable rock inscriptions and other with the devotional prayers to the Arhats artefacts, which are still intact and have (omniscients) and the Siddhas (liberated come down to us through the ages in their souls)" timeless forms. I think it was his love for the teachings of Jainism that enabled him to I want to bring to the notice of chroniclers envisage and create the extraordinary in his that Emperor Kharvel was descended from life. And by so doing he contributed greatly the great line of Maharaja Chetak, the leader to the flowering of Indian culture. of the Vaishali Republic. The name Kharvel occurs in the royal annals of Chetak's son Ahimsa is the life-breath of Jainism - its Shobhanrai. It is due to Kharvel's influence heart and soul. It is the backbone of the that Jainism became the national religion of entire body of the religion. It would not be Kaling and maintained its position as such an exaggeration if I said that Jainism was for centuries. Along with building new Jain born out of ahimsa - non-violence towards temples, and restoring the old ones, Kharvel all living things. But sometimes the pursued a policy of according equal sentiments of non-violence and compassion treatment to all religions, which singled him are mistaken for cowardice. Many historians out as an enlightened ruler. have blamed the Jains for India's enslavement and downfall', saying that it is Pramukh Alilasik Join Purush Aur Multilayen, Dr. Jyoti Prasad Jain. p.54 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282