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PROLEGOMENA TO PRAKRITICA et JAINICA
their master by doing him good and protecting him from evil. The preceptor teaches what is good here and in the next world (birth) and makes his disciples follow his teachings. And the disciples benefit their preceptor by their devoted service." (S.A. Jain, p. 147).
In fact, Tolerance is one of the most fundamental principles in Jain religion.' Tolerance is expressed in different contexts in different ways. Though Jainism started in the very hoary antiquity, Mahāvīra, the 24th Tirthankara, was the main propagator of Jain religion and philosophy. Through his whole life, dedicated for the cause of Jainism, Mahāvīra showed the people the way of tolerance for becoming a perfect man in different aspects of Jainism. At the age of 30, he left his home and started doing severe penance for the salvation of his soul. While doing penance and preaching his doctrines in different parts of eastern India, Magadha being the primary centre for his propagation, he suffered quite a lot from the hands of the people. In the second part of the Acārāngasūtra a brief life sketch of Mahāvīra is given and there it is said that when Mahāvīra was at Rādha, the people of Rādha had mocked him, had sneered at him and threw stones at him. Even dogs and ferocious animals used to attack him for biting. Mahāvīra withstood all these sufferings calmly and quietly. This is one of the greatest instances of his tolerance.
Apart from this incident, Mahāvīra showed his tolerance with his rival groups, such as, the Ajīvikas, Gosāla Mankhaliputra and so on. His life-stories also tell us how he showed his tolerance towards his playmates.
The basic ideas of tolerance can be gleaned from Jainism through the Pañcamahāvratas, Trigupti and Pañcasamiti. I need not expatiate all these ideas here. 1. For writing this portion, I have freely incorporated some
passages from my book, Introducing Jainism, in my present dissertation without keeping them within the inverted commas, even though lots of new materials are added to it.
