________________ 8.3 Epilogue 8 APPENDICES 8.3 Epilogue The Sravakacara of Vasunandin is a religious poem concerned with Jain ethics and rituals. It is written in one of the literary languages used by Digambars in medieval times. Vasunandin gives instructions to the Jain laity in the chosen section, verses (57-205). He illustrates the theoretical categories based on the doctrine of Mahavira and his disciples by many examples of human vices and explains the results of evil. The ideal conduct of the laity has its foundation in non-violence (ahimsa), compassion (anukampa) and non-possessiveness (aparigraha). Vasunandin recommends dietary restrictions that are embedded into the so-called mula-gunas, a pattern of self-purification. As it has been outlined by Robert Williams in his monography, Jaina Yoga, 1963, Vasunandin promotes the idea of the individual progress of morality. "Shrieking" is a kind of utterance that could be described as a loud and high-pitched crying. Generally speaking, shrieking is an attribute of non-human and human animals. In the Sravakacara the act of "shrieking" characterises the sound of sentient beings in suffering. This collection of memorial stanzas of Vasunandin is representative for the genre of Jain religious poems called Anupreksas (Anuvekkhas) or Bhavanas. The English translation of the section Sravakacara (57-205) is accompanied by notes on selected technical terms, an outline of the Jain patterns of self-purification, a romanised version of the Prakrit text, an index, and a list of verses cited in the Hindi commentary of Sunilasagara in the Indian reprint of this text. The author of the study in hand, Signe Kirde, born in 1964 as the first child of Nora Kirde, nee Schafer, and Kalju Kirde, in Gottingen, studied at the Department of Philological Studies at the Philipps Universitat in Marburg (Prof. Dr. Monika Ubelhor, Prof. Dr. Michael Hahn, Bhikkhu Pasadika, Prof. Dr. Frank Heidermanns). After visiting India and Sri Lanka she continued with Prof. Dr. Konrad Klaus in Bonn and Prof. Dr. Klaus Butzenberger in Tubingen. The thesis "Vasunandin's Sravakacara (57-205)" was accepted for doctorate examination in the Department of Philosophical Studies at the Eberhard Karls Universitat, Tubingen, Germany, in 2009. Keywords: Jain Ethics; Digambar Prakrit; Indian eschatological Literature; Karma Theory; Human-Animal Studies. 169
