Mahavir Jayanti Celebrated in Bangalore

BANGALORE: Messages of non-violence and virtue reverberated in the air even as the city was painted in riotous colours marking Mahaveer Jayanti.

The 2610th birth anniversary of the last Tirthankara saw thousands take part in celebrations across the city. Organized by various Jain organizations, colourful processions, meetings and religious discourses marked the day. Speakers lauded the "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" (the principles of non-violence and virtue) taught by Bhagwan Mahaveer and its relevance in the present day scenario.

The day began with the idol of Mahaveer being given a ceremonial bath followed by several rituals. Later, Maha Mastakabhisheka of Lord Mahaveer and special puja were held. Religious discourses and cultural activities were held throughout the day.

Speaking at a function in Freedom Park organized by the Jain Youth Association in Gandhinagar, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa lauded the contribution of Jain poets to Kannada literature.

"For ages, Jainism has been an integral part of Indian ethos. The rituals, teachings and religious roots of Jainism have assimilated into Indian culture. Through truth, non-violence, celibacy and rigorous achievement, Lord Mahaveer has been a trend-setter. The contributions by Janna, Pampa and Ponna to Kannada literature will remain forever. Mahatma Gandhi has proven that we can win with non-violence," Yeddyurappa said.

TRAIN TO BE RENAMED

Union minister of state for railways K H Muniyappa promised to rename either the Mysore-Jaipur train or Bangalore-Jodhpur train as Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Express. The Jain community members requested the CM to name the Metro railway station near Mysore Bank Circle after Lord Mahaveer.

MARCH FOR WORLD PEACE

Also known as the World Peace Day, the celebrations began with a peace march organized by Jain Yuva Sanghatan. The procession which was flagged off at Town Hall made its way through the narrow lanes of Nagarthpet, Chickpet via BVK Iyengar road to Freedom Park where thousands had gathered to spread the words of Mahaveer __ non-violence and peace.

There were multiple tableaus enacting various scenes from the Jain Mythology, life of Mahaveer. Mahaveer Janam Kalyanak was celebrated by the abhishek of the idol of Lord Mahaveer.

Sree Mahaveer Sangha organized a programme at Vimanapura, Old Airport Road. A procession of Lord Mahaveer Jain with 108 mangala kalasa was taken out on the morning followed by a religious function and later culminated with a cultural programme depicting the life story of Lord Mahaveer.

A book titled `Karnataka Digambar Jain Mandirs' was released on at a programme organized by the Karnataka Jain Association. It was followed by discourse of Jain teachings.

The Khandelwal Digamber Jain Samaj, Wilson Garden, held its festivities at the Digambar Jain Temple. A massive rally with all grandeur and royal decoration marked the celebrations.

Ancient Jain Idols Recovered

Karwar: Ancient antique panchaloha idols of Chandranatha and Parshwanatha were recovered by the Bhatkal police. They were stolen from Padmavathi temple (a Jain temple or Basadi) at Haduvalli village in Bhatkal taluk in August last year.

Raman Gupta, Superintendent of Police, showed presspersons here on Tuesday the recovered idols. He said Vijayanand Sambanna (48) of Harihar in Davanagere district was arrested in this connection and the other accused Nasrulla, alias Munna of Harihar and Ashok Joshi of Hospet were reported to be absconding. Bhatkal taluk has some ancient Jain temples administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Mr. Gupta said the idols of Chandranatha and Parshwanatha were estimated at Rs. 30 lakh and the value of these antique pieces in the international market could be much higher. The antique idol of Chandranatha weighed 17 kg and two-foot tall and Parshwanatha weighed 15 kg and was 1.5-foot tall.

He said Vijayanand was an autorickshaw driver in Harihar, he was a Commerce graduate. Later he worked as a sales man in a private company at Harihar. He was transferred to Hospet in Bellary district. There he came in contact with Ashok Joshi who used to buy stolen antique idols from Vijayanand. Nasrulla and Vijayanand had stolen idols from Shirur, Hiryadka, Bhatkal, Bidkalkatte, Kundapur and Yerlapadi in Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts since 2000, said Mr. Gupta.

On August 7, 2010, Vijayanand and Nasrulla allegedly came to Bhatkal on a motorcycle and visited the Padmavathi temple in the afternoon. Nasrulla broke open the door of the temple and both lifted the idols and left for Harihar. Next day, they sold the idols to Ashok Joshi in Hospet for Rs. 1,15,000 which was divided by Vijayanand and Nasrulla among them.

Vijayanand was taken into the custody by Bhatkal police and was interrogated.

Based on his information, police seized the idols from the house of Ashok Joshi. Mr. Gupta said that the idols would not be returned to the temple authorities unless a closed-circuit camera was installed there.

Additional Superintendent of Police V.B. Gaonkar, Bhatkal DySP M Narayan amongst other police officers were present.

Jain Studies in Florida University

Florida International University's Religious Studies Department is receiving $600,000 from South Florida's Jain community to boost awareness of the little-practiced, but influential, religion.

BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ AND JAWEED KALEEM


With perhaps 10 million adherents worldwide -- the vast majority of them in one country, India -- Jainism might be called a bit player on the stage of world religions. Florida International University religious studies professor Nathan Katz, however, would beg to differ.

Katz's years of religious study, combined with a healthy dose of interaction with Jain faculty members at FIU, has shown him Jainism's profound impact on both Buddhism and Hinduism. So, too, did Katz learn of Jainism's role in developing the philosophical ideal of nonviolence -- a torch later carried by Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr..

`VAST INFLUENCE'

``Jainism is a very small religion numerically, but has had vast influence in the world,'' Katz said. ``It's very important in the global history of ideas.''

In addition to nonviolence, other central tenets of Jainism, according to Katz, are non-greed, respect for all forms of life, and religious pluralism.

Those values mesh perfectly with FIU, Katz said -- where environmentalism, cultural diversity and a global view of issues are guiding principles.

Thanks to a $600,000 donation from South Florida's Jain community, FIU's role in educating the public on the religion is about to grow. University leaders are scheduled to formally announce the gift Friday afternoon.

The donation -- which with matching funds from the state will bring more than $1 million to FIU -- is to fund an endowed professorship in FIU's Religious Studies Department, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Katz, who is Jewish, will take the lead in raising the profile of Jainism in all sorts of university classes, both religious and nonreligious.

As part of the gift, Katz's formal title has grown by a few words: He is now the Bhagwan Mahavir Professor of Jain Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University.

The Jain professorship is the first of its kind in the Americas, and the endowment is part of a larger initiative by the Jain community to establish a permanent academic education center for Jain studies and research at FIU.

Jayant Shah, president of the South Florida Jain Temple in Weston, praised FIU's new program.

``It's incredibly positive. Only a handful of people know about Jainism, but now the Jain religion will have more exposure,'' said Shah, 66, an electronics exporter who lives in Pompano Beach. ``People will be able to learn about what Jainism stands for. We always believe in `live and let live,' `forgive and forget,' and we respect all lives as equal,''' Shah said.

When he moved to South Florida 30 years ago from Philadelphia, there were about 15 Jain families in the area, Shah said.

``Now in Miami-Dade and Broward, there are about 120,'' he said.

After years of fundraising, he joined those families a year ago to open the 4,000-square-foot, $1.45 million temple -- the only one of its kind south of Tampa -- in a strip mall.

Its interior is made of white marble from India, and central to the temple is the Gabhara, a covered sanctuary that has statues of three Tirthankaras, which are enlightened Jain teachers.

The temple, which is volunteer-run, is usually closed during the week, but opens for services on Sundays.

DALAI LAMA

The $600,000 Jain donation to FIU follows a $100,000 gift from the Dalai Lama last year. In a written statement, the Dalai Lama praised FIU's new endowment, saying, ``In my view, Jainism and Buddhism are like twins who have delivered the message of oneness and nonviolence to the world.''

The Dalai Lama's much-publicized financial contribution came at a time that FIU's Religious Studies department faced an uncertain future.

Confronted with a budget gap of almost $35 million, FIU's board of trustees last year considered significantly downsizing the department. Bachelor degrees, for example, would no longer have been offered.

Religion students and faculty members spoke passionately on behalf of their program, and trustees ultimately backed off the downsizing plan. But the department was urged to beef up its fundraising.

``So we've tried very hard,'' Katz said. ``We've had some success so far.''

My Views On Conversion to Jainism

My Views On Conversion to Jainism

In reply of the renowned scholar Kancha Illaiah, Hem Raj Jain has suggested that oppressed classes may try Jainism. That is a good concept, and some great Jain Acharyas have already executed this idea. For instance, late Acharya Nanalalji Maharaj successfully initiated hundreds of thousands of people from Meghwal/ Balai (Bhangi) community into Jainism in Malawa region of North India. These neo-Jains are known as Dharmpals, and are staunch Jains.

Similarly, another great Jain Acharya converted about one lakh of butchers (Hindu Khatik) into Jainism. That was a great work, as the butchers were directly involved in killings of animals, and it was their occupation. They threw away this occupation and adopted other non-violent occupations. These people now are known as Veervals.

Acharya Vijay Indra Din Suri, who was born in a tribal community, converted about Half a Million tribals into Jainism in Gujarat. These converted tribal people are known as Kshatriy Parmar Jains.

In Eastern states of India like Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, there is a community known as Saraak, which was follower of Jainism in ancient and medieval times and was converted to Hinduism thereafter, is now again returning to their original religion, i.e. Jainism. Thanks to the missionary work of some great Jain monks and activists.

All the neo Jains I have mentioned above are following Jainism in right manner.

Now, my views about Hem Raj Jain’s article. Although his concept is right one, there are many flaws in his thinking. He has mentioned Jainism as a sect of Hinduism. That is not a right thing and this issue has been discussed for a lot of times. Then why he thinks so? Some of his views clearly indicate that he is a Saffron man, probably belonging to RSS. These people always want to keep oppressed people away from Hinduism. No matter if oppressed people adopt Jainism, Buddhism or Sikhism, their only wish is that they should not get converted to Islam and Christianity.

These people always mention that Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism are sects of Hinduism, but they never talk about the status of Vedic religion in Hinduism. Why they never say that Vedic religion is a sect of Hinduism? Their theory is: Jainism is a sect of Hinduism, Hinduism means Vedic Religion, and so Jainism is a sect of Vedic religion.

Hem Raj like to use the word ‘transformation’ instead of ‘conversion’. But he should know that both the words have the same meanings. By the way, why these people do not ‘transform’ the oppressed people to the Vedic religion instead of showing them the Buddhist or Jain way?

Hem Raj has mentioned that 85% of 1200 millions India are Hindus. It is the biggest fake statement in his article. Deduct 12% Muslims, 2.5% Christians, 2% Sikhs, 1% Jains, 1% Buddhists, 16% Dalits, 8% Tribals, and 1% others from 100 and the Hindus remain at 56.5%. This percentage too will decrease soon to make Hindus a minority religion as Kshatriyas, the main pillar of so-called Hinduism is awakened and many of them are going away from Hinduism.

-Mahavir Sanglikar
0 962 372 5249
jainway@gmail.com

Please read following articles on related subjects:

Recent Conversions to Jainism
Forced Hinduism

Jain Scholar S. B. Vasantrajaiah is No More

Bangalore (Karnataka), Nov 17, 2009: A renowned Jain scholar Sri S.B.Vasantharajaiah passed away last night at Bangalore. He was not keeping in good health since the past few days and was hospitalised a couple of times.

Sri Vasantharajaiah, born in 1924 was a B.A. graduate who originated from Saligrama a village in the K.R.Nagar taluk of Mysore district had worked in the accounts department of the Government of Karnataka. He was a renowned Jain scholar and was known for his simplicity. Along with his literary knowledge he was also known for his organising skills and was instrumental in organising many Jain conferences and gatherings. He was instrumental in the formating of Sri Mahavira Mission in Bangalore during the late 60s and early 70s which played a pivotal role in shaping the Digambar Jain Samaj of Bangalore during the period. He was also instrumental in starting the 10 days Dashalakshana Parva discourses on a mass scale in Bangalore in 1976. This paved the way for the Digambar Jain samaj of Karnataka to follow suit and thus resulting in the celebration of Dahsalakshana parva in almost all the nooks and corners of Karnataka.

He was a recipient of the coveted 'Chavundaraya Award' given by the Kannada Sahitya Parishath the highest award given to a Jain scholar in Kannada literature for their life time contribution to Jainism. On his 80th birthday he was felicitaed with two felicitation volumes by the Jain samaj and his well wishers in a grand function held at Karnataka Jain Bhavan, Bangalore under the presence of His Holiness Swasti Sri Bhuvanakeerthi BHattarakha Swamiji of the Kanakagiri Jain Mutt.

Gurus Guru: He was a guru to Her Holiness Ganani Aryika 105 Sri Gyanmathi Mathaji as he had taught her Kannada during her visit to Karnataka.

Below is given a list of some of the works of Sri S.B.Vasantharajaiah:·
Ahimsa Jyothi Mahavira - A sketch on the life of Lord Mahavir based on the historical references of Lord Mahavira in Digambar and SWethambar Literature.·
Koppala Dinda Shravanabelagoladavarege - A book that gives out the details of around 40 to 45 Jain historical places from Koppala (a district in the Northern Karnataka that was once upon a time known a chief Jaina centre) to Shravanabelagola (a Jain town in the southern Karnataka) based on the inscriptional references.
Deergha Tapaswi Mahavira - A work that explains the 12 years long penance of Lord Mahavira with details of Lord Mahavira's vihar, Chaturmas, samavasarana and other important incidents.·
Chandanabala - a drama that explains the story of Chandanabala.·
Karnatakada Digambara Jina Mandiragalu - A book that gives out the details of about 700 Jain temples of Karnataka.·
Ashtapahuda - a translation of the Prakrit work of Acharya Sri Kundakunda in Kannada.· Dwadashanuprekshe - A translation into Kannada.·
NishkamaYogi - A novel describing the life of a middle class Digambar Jain families in the 20th century.· Saligrama Darshana - A book detailing out the details of the Jain temples in Saligrama and about the Jain samaj and other details.