Lecture On Jainism

Author(s): Lala Banarasidas
Publisher: Anuvrat Samiti

Page 12

Gentlemen, Jainisni is also a religion whose glory the dumb creatures sing with their mute tongues, for, tell me, gentlenien, what other religion has praclaimed the total prohibition of animal slaughter for any purpose whatsoever, and what other religion is practically so very punctilious about animal life. Then, gentlemen, I stand before you this noon to speak on Jainismi, a religion which was founded and continued by Kshatriyas, and a religion which can properly claim to head the list of religions that have for their motto Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah!
atood.
. This Jainism has been most pitiably mis-under
stood. Its origin has been misJainism mis-under
** understood, its tenets have been
mis-understood, its philosophy has been mis-understood, and its antiquity has been misunderstood. And in short it has been mis-understood wholesale. It has not only been mis-understood, but spitefully found fault with. People not only misunderstand it, but also cast slurs upon it out of spite, out of enmity, and out of faction. Some have called it a Nastika religion. Some have called it a religion of the Banias and Shravagis. Some have regarded it as an offshoot of Buddhism. Some have looked upon it as a religion that look its rise upon the revival of Brahmanism under Shankaracharya. Some have regarded it as a product of Brahmanismi. Sonic have called Mahavira its founder. Some have called Parshya Nath its originator. Some