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174
JAINISM AND KARNATAKA CULTURE
right to attribute the failure of Jainism to their emphasis on Ahimsa, as some have done. 168 For, as we have noticed already, this did not stand in the way of their conquests or defence of kingdoms; nor did it stand in the way of kings and judges in the detection and punishment of criminals. The bravery of Jaina kings and generals, no less than that of the rank and file is a common theme of eulogy in Jaina inscriptions. For instance, an inscription in Mysore speaks of a Jaina warrior, Baicappa, as having sent many o the Konkanigas to destruction' and thereby 'gained the heavenly world and attained the feet of Jina.' 169
PESSIMISM Another cause to which the failure of Jainism is usually attributed is its alleged 'pessimism.' This needs a fuller and deeper discussion than we are prepared to enter upon here. The goal of all Indian religions, in fact, is declared to be Death and not Life. Confining ourselves to Jainism for the present, we cull a few remarks from Mrs. Sinclair Stevenson's 'The Heart of Jainism'to understand what this dictum means :--
“The desire of India is to be freed from the cycle of re-births and the dread of India is reincarnation. The rest that most of the spiritual seek through their faith is a state of profound and deathlike 'trance, in which all their powers shall have ceased to move or live, and from which they shall never again be awakened to undergo rebirth in this toilsome and troubled world.
“If, therefore, we would try reverently and sympathetically to grasp the inner meaning of an Indian faith, we must put aside all thought of the perfectly developed personality which is our ideal, and of the joy and zest that come from progress made and powers exercised, and, turning our thoughts backwards, face
168 Cf. Rāmaswami Ayyangar, Studies in S. I. J. I. p. 106. Dr. Saletore
has elaborated this theme in his Mediaeval Jainism (ch. on 'Jaina
Men of Action '). 169 Ep. Oar. VIII, Sb. 152.
| SR No. | 011062 |
| Book Title | Jainism and Karnataka Culture |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | S R Sharma |
| Publisher | Karnataka Historical Research Society Dharwar |
| Publication Year | 1940 |
| Total Pages | 263 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 9 MB |