Jinamanjari 2001 09 No 24

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 37

religious ambiguity presented within the Jaina community, and enhance a more invigorated social pluralism.
To support this notion, the following legend is quite interesting. Once time, so the story goes, Dadiga and Mādhava, two distressed ksatriya brothers approached the Digambara ascetic, Simhanandi, who was leading a life of austerity on the outskirts of the city. Taking pity on the forlorn brothers, Simhanandi educated the young men and gave them a boon, a sword and a kingdom. Once given the gifts, Mādhava, with all his might, struck a stone pillar which broke with cracking noise. Convinced of Mādhava's power, Simhanandi placed a coronet of the petals of Karnikāra flower, and blessed him by scattering akşata (rice grains). Thus, the ascetic as kingmaker had a pleased mind, and gave the Gangas a kingdom with a crest and cognizance, making his piñci olim rajoharana (a peacock feather whisk broom), and a lāñcana furnished with numerous attendants, elephants and horses. Simhanandi not only promoted the Ganga kingdom, but probably initiated a neo-military concept in the Jaina church which provided a social moral courage with all its spiritual sanction. Analysis of the historical significance of Simhanandi's charter, is provided by Prof. Vasantha Kumari who writes:
It was only a change introduced with regard to ahimsā in practice and not in theory. Without this change, Jainism would have remained merely as an impuissant or as an act of myth like a king without 'might,' or a religion without 'many followers.' The political sovereignty of the Jaina rulers was thus made possible and military services and the warrior profession received spiritual sanction. These changes helped the Jaina rulers to raise themselves to the trend of the period.... Thus the spiritual concept of ahiṁsā, and the military concept of imperialism were amalgamated and the impossible was achieved, which in fact led to the political and cultural matrix of Jainism in Karnataka (V. Kumari, 1991:179).
We also have other examples of this new interpretation of matial behaviour. For example. Gangaraja, the chief commander of the Hoysala army and a practicing Jaina, picked
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