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14
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL ELEMENT IN *
GUNAPĀLA'S JAMBUCARIYAM
Principles of Jainism, especially the principles of Jaina ethics, have been described and discussed by Guņapāla on so many occasions and at so much length in Jambucariyam (IC) that it can aptly be called an epitome of Jaina Ethics. “Art with a purpose" had been the primary aim of all the Jaina writers of secular literature, Their outlook and approach being this, they essentially differed from the non-Jaina writers. Any excuse, even flimsy, was sufficient to arouse in them a sense of moral values which found vent into lengthy sermons and exhortations sometimes out of proportion and even context. Take any work of the Jaina writers of secular literature and you will find the didactic undertone running right from the beginning to the end. But this was not unintentional and accidental. This was deliberate and purposeful. Their goal of life was not this world but the world beyond. Their attention was wholly fixed on the permanent and not on the ephemeral. Nothing which did not contribute to the cultivation of moral habits and elevation of the spirit had a room in their mental make-up. Now this being a question of one's aim-and the aim is, indeed, good-we have no right to adversely criticise the want of artistic sense in them, as alleged by some. They merely gave different direction to their talent as was contingent to their being spiritual teachers, first and last. They were capable and qualified. Gorgeous descriptions of cities, mountains, and rivers, of harems and royal assemblies; of kings and queens; of natural scene and scenery; of men and women, of monks and nuns; of merchants and moneyed men; of battles and wars; of army and weapons; of arts and sciences showed that they were masters of the language in which they wrote. These happended to be boring and dry as dust' as the descriptions were fused with moral substance and they harped on the same string for a pretty long time in order to plant the truth in the minds of the readers. Their style suffered only because of this.
Now in this background let us try to see what Gunapala has to say regarding Jaina ethics in the JC. N.B.-First figure in the brackets indicates the number of the Uddesa and the
second points to that of the stanza. The edition used is the one brought out by Acharya Jinavijayaji in the Bhavan's Singhi Jaina Series as No. 44.
(1) World The world is large and unfordable like an ocean. The only fence against the world is a thorough and real knowledge of it and this can be had from the Jaina • Bharatiya Vidya, Vol. XXIX, Nos. 1 to 4, 1969.
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