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[ XXIII ]
It is a fact worth mentioning here that in the reign of Akbar (1556-1605 A. D.) for his Dīna-e-Ilahi or 'Religion of God' the Jainas obtained a warrant 'prohibiting the slaughter of animals' in all the places wherever the Jainas practised their religion.
Though the Hindus, the Buddhists and the Jainas have accepted the doctrine of ahimsa, it is the Jainas who have turned it into a system of philosophical order. The quintessence of ahiṁsā has made Mahāvīra an outstanding exponent of social equality and justice. He did not allow anybody to be exploited and oppressed, but through his principles of ahimsa ( non-violence ), he maintained peace and tranquillity in the society with his splendid and imperishable excellence of sincerity and strength.
In the evolution of Indian thoughts and culture, the Jaina literature can supply us materials on free thinking and sophistic ideas. Herein lies the value of Jainistic teachings and practices. The Jainas afford us many an interesting glimpse of the every day life of a section of people of India. They are identified as a part and parcel of Indian life, not only of the life of the monks themselves, but that of the other classes of people as well.
In fine, it is to be remembered that Mahāvīra's intellectual empire as reflected in his principles of non-violence is imperishable, and the heart of a great number of people burst into a boundless admiration has been greatly moulded from thousands of years over the whole terrain of Indian life. A section of people still believes that Mahavira's doctrine of ahimsa should be preached and practised in the world of today.
Shri Dulichand Jain, the celebrated author of the Pearls of Jaina Wisdom, is a distinguished scholar of Jainology. He has deeply studied the Jaina Agama texts and has culled out nicely the good sayings of Mahāvīra. His work will serve as a sort of thesaurus of Jainism where the choicest and interesting passages
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