Kesarimalji Surana Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia, Dev Kothari
Publisher: Kesarimalji Surana Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 1257

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Karmayogi Sri Kesarimalji Surāņā Abhinandana Grantha : Seventh Part
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most of the people of those and later days-including the present days to some extent-in these regions. Moreover, some scholars think that the percolation of the principle of Ahirnsä to the very root of Gandhiji's mind is the later fruit of such age-long education by Jainism.
Another interesting factor in the educational values of Jainism is that in the day-to-day practice itself of the Śrävakadharma by the members of the lay community is found the carrying out of some important education principles. Dāna (gift), sila (protection of minor vows). upavāsa (observance of fast) and pūjā (worship) are the four constituents of the layman's way of pious life; and they play a very important role in his total life. The gift of Śästra (books) or Jñana (knowledge) is one of the four facets of Däna (gift), the first constituent of the Śrävakadharma. Šāstradāna means to provide the right person with the right book (or books, the vehicles of knowledge) at the right time. The educational importance of this aspect of gift can be illustrated from a gesture of an eminent historical personage of medieval Karnataka when printing was unknown. With a beneficial motive of augmenting interest in (religious) iiteratures, in 973 A. D., the great pious lady Attimabbe, wife of general Nägadeva (under the Western Cälukyas), got prepared 1000 copies of Ponna's Santipuräna and distributed them to the deserving ones. The worth and strength of this Śästradana is seen even today among numerous well-to-do members of the Jaina community extending a helping hand towards publication of worthy books, encouragement to scholars in their pursuits, liberal donations to educational institutions etc. A number of educational trusts have come up out of this motive in different parts of the country.
Moreover, of the six duties to be carried out daily by the Srävaka, viz., Paja (worship prayer etc.,) Vārtā (the exercise of honest livelihood), Dana (alm-giving) Svadhyäya (self-study or the study of scriptural and other religious works), Samyama (practising self-restraint and observing vows) and Tapa (penance like Pratikramana etc.,). Svädhyâya represents an important educational tenet in the sense that it makes the layman or laywoman indulge in an ideal type of selfstudy daily. This can be explained just by merely enumerating the constituent parts of act of Svādhyāya ; Vacanã (reading), Pragna or Pracchna (questioning), Parivartanā (repetition, revision), Anuprekşă (meditating and reflecting) and Dharmakathā (listening to or relating religious story). Hence, there would be no exaggeration if it is remarked that the way of life prescribed by Jainism for the pious layman and laywoman, represents a perennial stress on self-education on the part of each member in the community.
Now we must take into account a very important contribution of the Jaina Ācāryas to the cause of education in general. Though the Jaina teachers did not build great educational institutions, they have compɔsed and left for posterity a great number of treatises on many different subjects which have been serving as valuable means of higher education for the last several centuries. Their contribution to the disciplines of metaphysics, ethics, logic, philosophy, poetry, grammar, lexicography is considered as excellent and, at times, unparallelled. The works of Umāsvāti, Kundakunda, Siddhasena, Haribhadra, Jinasena, Udy otana, Somadeva, Hemacandra etc. are accepted as valuable gems in the syllabi of several modern Universities in India and abroad. Moreover the Jaina Syādvāda (Doctrine of seven-fold Predication) has been estimated to be a rare asset of Indian thinking. Similarly, it is the Jaina teachers and monks who, with devoted efforts cultivated and gave literary status to the south Indian languages like Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. This historical phenomenon also contains an important educational principle viz. effective instruction through the medium of mother tongue, which was practised first by Bhagavāna Mahavira himself.