Book Title: Medieval Jainism
Author(s): Bhasker Anand Saletore
Publisher: Karnataka Publishing House

Previous | Next

Page 141
________________ 126 MEDIEVAL JAINISM Jaina general as the "raiser up of the kingdom of Vişņuvardhana Poysala Mahārāja." His guru was Subhacandradeva, "an ocean of philosophy," disciple of Kukkuṭāsana Maladhärideva of the Pustaka gaccha and the Deśiya gana. This we know from stone records dated about A.D. 1117 and A.D. 1118.1 To his guru, as one of these records relates, Ganga Rāja gave the village of Parama in A.D. 1118, which his son Commander Eci Rāja confirmed in the same year.2 In the capital Dorasamudra itself, as the epigraph on the pedestal of the image in the Parsvanathabasti at Bastihalli in Halebid says, Ganga Rāja caused Jina images to be constructed. It is interesting to observe that in this record he is styled merely Senior Danḍanayaka Gangappayya." Ganga Rāja was first a loyal soldier and, then, a devout Jaina. In other words, he placed politics before religion. This may be proved by the following epigraphs which give us the standard of morality which he set before himself, and which tell us how after doing his duty as a gallant soldier, he asked his royal master for a reward. In an inscription commemorating his death, we have the seven standards of morality which Ganga Rāja had placed before himself. "To be false in speech, one; to show fear in battle, two; to be addicted to others' wives, three; to give up refugees, four; to leave suppliants unsatisfied, five; to forsake those to whom he is bound, six; to live in treachery to his lord, seven ;-these are the seven narakas (hells), says Ganga." The great Jaina general made the opposite of every one of these seven narakas his principle of life. 1. E. C. II, 73, 74, pp. 39-40. 2. Ibid., 73, p. 40. 3. M. A. R. for 1911, p. 44. 4. E. C. V, Bl. 124, pp. 82-83.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448