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BANERJEE : JAINISM AND NON-VIOLENCE
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belonging to the eighth century A.D. “were at great pains", says Phyllis Granoff, “to criticize both the Buddhists and the little-known samsāra-mocakas for not adhering to an absolute prohibition of all forms of violence.”
In the Avaśyakacūrņi by Jinadāsa-gaņi Mahattara (7th-8th cent. A.D.), a story of Siva Maheśvara was ridiculed by Jinadāsa. While the Hindus think that Siva was a god, Jinadāsa says that he was "the son of a nun who had been magically impregnated by a wizard seeking a suitable repository for his powers and subsequently came into possession of a spell which caused a hole in his forehead, the third eye of Shaiva mythology. As a result of his violent and lascivious behaviour, he was killed by a prostitute named Umā, one of the names of Shiva's wife Pārvati." (Paul Dundas, The Jains, 1992, Routledge, London, pp. 201-202).
Haribhadra Sūri (705-775 A.D.), an author of the eighth century A.D., criticised Hindu Mythological text in his Dhürtākhyāna. Phyllis Granoff observes that Haribhadra's Dhūrtākhyāna "is a spoof of Brahmanical mythology.... calculated to offend by the nature of the examples he has chosen to illustrate the improbability of Puranic religion."
The same Haribhadra Sūri in his Samarāiccakahā similarly criticized "Brahmanical rites".
In the twelfth century A.D., Hemacandra (1088-1172 A.D.) severely criticised Hindu deities on theological grounds. In his Yogaśāstra Hemacandra criticises some aspects of Hindu deities which, he thinks, are not fit for liberation. He says
“Those gods who are tainted by passion, etc., as seen by their women, weapons, necklaces, etc. and who show disfavour or favour to others, are not liberated."
"Since they are confused and disturbed by dancing, loud laughter, and singing, how can they lead to the peaceful state?” (Yogaśāstra, II. 6-7).
The same Hemacandra in the same Yogaśāstra text
