Jains Through Time

Author(s): Shilapi Sadhvi
Publisher: Veerayatan

Page 55

The Jains through Time
rain after years of drought. It was so exciting because, through the insight of Devardhigani, the words and thoughts of Mahavir would live forever and continue to inspire future generations. But when the traditionalists would not accept Devardhigani's innovations, my happiness was short-lived.
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In my experience epoch-makers are always facing up to challenges, but they are never deterred from their path by any opposition or adverse circumstances. For this revered Acharya, the prestige and pride of Jainism
was all-important, so he set about initiating Acharya Devardhigani Kshmashraman writing down the scriptures
the revolutionary task of writing down the one time Jain sadhus and sadhvis were not Agamas (canonical literature) - a great gift allowed to write due to their code of to Jain society. Unfortunately, so many conduct, so Tirthankar Mahavir's words excellent things said by Tirthankar Mahavir were not recorded for nearly a thousand have already been lost to us. If they had years after his nirvana in 527 BC. been written down at the time, the glory of Devardhigani, by his courage and tenacity, Jainism would have been much more broke through this convention and arranged resplendent today. What little of the sayings for the transcribing and collecting of the of this great prophet could be saved, we owe disparate teachings of Tirthankar Mahavir. I to the farsightedness and creative vision of remember how delighted I was when this Devardhigani and all his collaborators. work began; it was like the smell of the first
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