________________ THE CARDINAL TENETS OF MAHAVIRA AND JAINISM* Dr. S. MOOKERJEE, M. A., Ph. D. I must express my sincere gratitude to the organizers of the Vaisali Mabotsava and the Vaisali Sangha for conferring on me the privilege of participating in the cultural function of today. The Vaisali Sangha has already assumed historical importance and is bound to go down in future history as the centre of a momentons cultural movement sponsored that it is by Dr. S. K. Sinha who is better known as the 'Lion of Bihar' and his worthy colleagues Sri Deep Narain Sinba, the Vice-President and others. It shows their appreciativeness of merit and service of the Sangha that Shri J. C. Mathur, I. C. S. is its permanent Chief Secretary though he is now placed far away from Vaigali in the larger interests of the nation. The honour that has been bestowed upon me shows the confidence of the Vaisali Sangha but none is more conscious than myself of my limitations. The honour may prove an invidious distinction when my performance will be compared with that of my predecessors. I have accepted this offer not because of the supposed honour, but because of the sacred occasion which must attract a pilgrim who wants to derive a spiritual benefit. It again augurs favourably for the future that the function has received the blessings of our beloved Rajyapal, Dr. Zakir Hussain, who is admired by all for his keen appreciation of the cultural values of our country. . Vaigali is one of the names in India's history to conjure with. Its glories have been celebrated in the Ramayana. Later on it became the centre of a cultural renaissance and was noted in the past for its spiritual upsurgence, the heroism of its warriors, the sagacity and self-restraint of its administrators and super-abundant prosperity and wealth. It has the prerogative of having given birth to Mahavira, the last prophet of the Jaina religion and of being the place of Gautama Buddha's austerities and missionary activities. It is extremely appropriate that Vaigali is again * Address delivered at the fourtenth Vaisali Festival (2-4-8).
