Vijyanandsuri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth

Author(s): Navinchandra Vijaymuni, Ramanlal C Shah, Shripal Jain
Publisher: Vijayanand Suri Sahitya Prakashan Foundation Pavagadh

Page 887

Ahimsa has influenced their social mingling with only such other communities as are nearer to the observance of the concept of Ahimsa as far as possible in the Indian social spectrum.
Prompted by this spiritual content of the respect for life and non-injury to the living beings the Jainas have provided for inns (Dharmashalas), Schools, water huts, and free medicine distributing centres throughout India at various important places and specially the places of pilgrimage.
There are many communities even among Hindus who are vegetarian. Some of these communities who have had soical intercourse with the Jaina community in trade and business have also been influenced by the Jaina concept of Ahimsa in their food and drink habits. Most of Vaishya community among Hindus are affected by this Jaina attitude. The Jaina schools which are open to other communities have also contributed to a great deal in this regard. In recent history, Mahatma Gandhi who was born in a Vaishya community of Hindus is an outstanding symbolic
the influence of Jaina philosophy of non-violence taught by his Jaina Teacher in school days which changed the entire course of Indian political history.
This attitude has also led the Jainas to preserve as much of the vegetable kingdom as possible by utilising the minimum for their own essential use for they believe that the vegetable world also has life. In this way, Jainism provides a stronghold for the modern environmentalists.
JAINA ATTITUDE AS REFLECTED IN LITERARY FOLKORE
The Jaina literature abounds in the mythological legends depicting the practice of Ahimsa in the lives of Tirthankaras and other influencial members of the Jaina community. One such legend related to the life of Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankara of Jainas is quite popular in the Jaina households. Neminath was a Kshatriya prince who was to marry a princess namely Rajul of the neighboring principality. When the marriage party was proceeding towards the palace of the bride in a royal procession, Neminath, the bridegroom happened to glance at an enclosure wherein a good number of animal heads had been kept ready for being butchered and served in the form of various delicacies to the
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Shri Vijyanand Suri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth