Book Title: Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons
Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Previous | Next

Page 199
________________ RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS 197 religious life. Travelling was extremely difficult, organised bands of robbers and dacoits moved freely, there were political disturbances when lawlessness prevailed throughout the country, getting a shelter was no less difficult a problem, rivalry between the Jain Samanas and other heretical monks and the Brahmanas was common, theic was famine, flood, pestilence, sickness when the Samanas suffered to a great extent Under such circumstances, however, the Jain Samanas tried hard to maintain the usual course of procedure laid down for them Frequently there came critical moments in their life when they hovered between life and death, and ultimately they contented themselves by laying down their lives quietly without uttering a word TRAVELLING33 Travelling was considered an important means of spreading religion It is stated that a sadhu or a religious mendicant should be accomplished in various icgional languages and in correct utterance and expounding of the Sutras in different provincial languages He should learn the regional languages and then convert the people of the laitd He should also meet the great aryas in his travel for the better understanding of the Sutras 27 The Samanas had to traverse long and dreary distances when travelling was most insecure and painful They had to cross big wild forests, vast deserts and big mountains and rivers taking their lives in their own hands Some lost their way in endless Jungles, some were overpowered by snow and thorny bushes, some were devoured by wild beasts, some were done to death by robbers and dacoits, and some lost their lives for want of food and drink It is stated that in the course of the journey the sadhus should not transgress the fence laid by the caravan. Sometimes the caravan in dccp forest came face to face with lions or robbers and the whole caravan was destroyed by wild beasts and robbers and if a sadhu was separated from the caravan, then he could ask the help of the sylvan deity, who would by means of a tremor show him the way or lead him to a Janapada.28 They were tied up and there was risk of being put to death and flogged and, therefore, it is said that the boundary of the enemy territory should not be crossed by the sadhus 80 The journey of boats was also a problem to the Samanas We hear that considering the Samana as an unrenumerative encumbrance for the boat, people took hold of him and threw him into water 31 16 See Brh su. 1 46 and its Bhasya, pp 856-880 (chapter on adhyaprakaιana) 27 Brh Bha 1.1230 f, 1234 28 Ibid 1.3104-9 29 Cf. ibid, 3.3901 30 Ibid, 1 2783, also cf 13112 31 Aca Su II, 3 2 344 Also Iva. Nir 470, cf Aväriya Jātaka (Ao 376), III, pp. 230 f.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429