Spiritual and philosophical quotes of Jain religion

Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion. Followers of Jainism are called "Jains", a word derived from the Sanskrit word jina referring to the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths by destroying karma through an ethical and spiritual life.

Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself.

Right belief depends on the acquaintance with truth, on the devotion to those who know the truth . . . there is no (right) conduct without right belief, and it must cultivated (for obtaining) right faith . . . Without (right) faith there is no (right) knowledge, without (right) knowledge there is no virtuous conduct, without virtues there is no deliverance, and without deliverance there is no perfection.

The Uttaradhyayana, Jainism

Source : 28th Lecture, sec. 28-30

Look at the exterior (world from analogy with thy own) self; [then]thou wilt neither kill nor destroy (living beings);’ viz. out of reciprocal regard [well examining] he does no sinful act. What is the characteristic of a sage? ‘Recognising the equality (of all living beings), he appease himself.’

The Acaranga Sutra, Jainism

Source : Book 1, Lecture 3, Lesson 3, sec. 1

He who knows the internal, knows the external and he who knows the external, knows the internal.

The Saman Suttam, Jainism

Source : 19:257

One who knows soul as pure oneself attains a pure self. But who contemplates the soul as having impure nature becomes himself impure.

The Saman Suttam, Jainism

Source : 19:256

To kill any living being amounts to killing oneself. Compassion to others is compassion to one’s own self.

The Bhagavati Aradhana, Jainism

Source : 797

Just as you do not like misery, in the same way others also do not like it. Knowing this, you should do unto them what you want them to do unto you.

The Bhagavati Aradhana, Jainism

Source : 780

(One should reflect thus:) Let me treat all living beings with eqanimity and none with enmity.

The Mulachara, Jainism

Source : 2:42

Souls render service to one another.

The Tattvartha Sutra, Jainism

Source : 5:21

The Arhats and Bhagavats of the past, present, and future, all say thus, speak thus, declare thus, explain thus: all breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.

The Acaranga Sutra, Jainism

Source : Book One, Fourth Lecture, First Lesson

I forgive all living beings,

May all living beings forgive me.

My friendship is with all living beings,

My enmity is nonexistent.

The Khamemi Savve Jiva Sutra, Jainism

May the whole universe be blessed,

May all beings engage in each other’s well-being,

May all weakness, sickness and faults diminish and vanish,

May everyone be healthy, prosperous, blissful, and peaceful.

The Shivmastu Sarva Jagatah Sutra, Jainism

I bow to the enlightened beings.

I bow to the liberated souls.

I bow to religious leaders.

I bow to religious teachers.

I bow to all ascetics of the world....

The Namokar Mantra, Jainism

The self that has developed equanimity, if endowed with pure activities, attains heavenly happiness.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Pravachansara, 1/11

He, who is detached from all injurious actions, observes threefold control (of body, mind and speech) and restrains his senses, (is said to have) steadfast equanimity according to the preaching of the omniscient.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 9/125

Freedom of thought-activity from lust, pride, deceit, and greed, etc., is purity of thought (Bhavashuddhi). So has been preached to the deserving souls by the perceivers of universe and non-universe.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 7/112

He, who avoiding the wrong path, firmly walks in the right path of the Conquerors (Jinas) is said to have repentance because he himself is the embodiment of repentance.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 5/86

I am neither anger, nor pride, nor deceit, nor greed. I am neither the doer, nor do I make others do, nor am I the approver of the doers.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 5/81

He, who having renounced backbiting, ridiculing, talking ill of others, self-praising and harsh words, speaks what is good for himself as well as for others (is said) to have carefulness in speech (Bhasha Samiti).

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/62

The carrier of the load of (right) conduct, i.e., a saint, who having first formed the idea of being unconcerned with all worldly attachments, renounces them is said to observe the fifth vow of possessionlessness, (Parigraha Tyaga).

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/60

He, who having seen the beauty of a woman, is not moved by a desire for her; or whose thoughtactivity is free from sex-animate feeling (Maithuna Sanjna), (is said observe) the fourth vow (chastity), Brahmacharya.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/59

He, who renounces the thoughtactivity of picking up articles belonging to another, lying in a village, a town or a forest, (is said) to observe the third vow (nonstealing), Achaurya.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/58

A saint, who renounces thoughtactivity leading to telling falsehood, on account of delusion, attachment and aversion is (said) to observe always the second vow, (truth), Satya.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/57

Thought-activity free from (all) undertakings (injurious to any of) the mundane souls (which are) known as existing in (any of the various) physiques, nuclei, soulclasses, soul-quests, etc., is the first vow (non-injury) Ahimsa.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Niyamsara, 4/56

Common people, seeing someone looted, in the way, say, “the way is looted,” but no way whatsoever is (really) looted.

Acharya Kundkund, Jainism

Source : Samaya Sara, 1/63

 BANGALORE IS a cosmopolitan city with people from different regions and religions living together in harmony. The city has more than a thousand temples, 400 masjids, 100 churches, 40 Jain mandirs, three Gurudwaras, two Buddha viharas, and one Parsi Agiari.

The tradition of temple construction, started by the founder of Bangalore, continues to flourish. The oldest temple is, perhaps, Domlur Chokkanatha temple of the Chola period (10th Century). The inscriptions here are in Tamil script, but the language is Kannada. According to these inscriptions, there was a Someswara temple here in 1266.

Ulsoor Someswara temple is possibly the next oldest, built by the Hoysalas (between 12th and 13th Century). This temple was renovated and beautified by three generations of the Yelahanka dynasty - Gidde Gowda, Kempe Gowda I and II. The temple is a strange mixture of Hoysala, Chola, and Vijayanagar architecture.

The next series of temples belonging to the period of Kempe Gowda I & II are Dodda Ganapathi, Basavanna, and Karanji Anjaneya in Basavanagudi, Gavi Gangadhareswara in Gavipura, Bande Mahakali, Pralayakalada Veerabhadra, Kalabhairava in Gavipura Guttahalli, Basaveshwara in the fort (shifted to Mamulpet), Anjaneya at Yelahanka Gate, Dharmaraya at the end of OTC Road, and Ranganathaswamy in Balepete.

Many of these temples have an interesting history. Once the river Vrishabhavati originated from the feet of the big Basavanna, but the stream has now dried up. Kadle Kai Parishe, a mela, is held on the last Monday of Karthika (October and November) to offer the first crop of groundnut to Basavanna before sending the produce to the market.

This part of Bangalore wears a rustic look during the mela. The chola style Gavi Gangadhareswara temple has huge tridents, damarus, and discs known as Suryapana and Chandrapana. People throng here on Makara Sankranthi in the evening to watch the sun rays pass through the arch, the window, Nandi's horn, and finally onto the Linga.

The Dharmaraya temple is famous for its Karaga procession connected with Adishakti in the form of Draupadi. Karaga, a five-day festival of Tigalas, who migrated from Tamil Nadu, has many unique features such as intense religious fervour, strict rituals, unchanged traditions over centuries, a fixed route and stops for the procession, welcome and respect shown at all the temples on route. The involvement of all sections of people and the unique communal harmony displayed by the special puja at Tawakkal Mastan Darga are remarkable.

Kadu Malleswara temple has given its name to Malleswaram. Ekoji had donated Medaraninganahalli for its maintenance and thus, the temple must be earlier than his time (1670 A.D). The temple structure around it was built by Yele Mallappa Shetty in 1900.

The adjoining Subramanya temple also has an interesting story. Devotees were in search of Utsava murthi for the main idol and ended up constructing a new temple. The Utsava murthi was in the possession of a Parsi businessman in Eden!

Kote Venkataramanaswamy temple was built by Chikkadevaraya in 1690 and the Basaveshwara there was shifted to Mamulpet.

Possibly, they forgot to shift the scenes from Girija Kalyana on the sanctorum walls along with Basaveswara.

There are also many temples built by the common citizens in Bangalore. Some of them are Kasi Visveswara temple (1840) in Balepete built by Sadashiva Sahu, Bennekrishna temple at Tulasi Thota, the neighbouring Sri Rama temple built by Rao Bahadur Garudachar in 1908 (the idol here was earlier worshipped by saint Tulasi Ramdas, credited with starting the Ramotsava celebrations in Bangalore), Banashankari temple built in 1915 by Basappa Shetty, Narasimha Swamy temple (1800) at Balepete, Srinivasa Mandiram (1889), Manji Someswara temple, Sugriva temple, Laldas temple complex, Subramanya temple (1821) in Ulsoor, and Subramanya temple built by the philanthropist millionaire, Sajjan Rao. The most recent example is the Rama Mandira in Malleswaram, built by the initiative of ordinary employees in Atara Kacheri.

O.T.C. Road and other localities have many temples built and patronised by certain sections such as the Devanga, Golla, Besta, Uppara, Goniga, Kshaurika, Nagartha, Ganiga, Vishwakarma, and so on. There are also a number of temples for the Grama Devathes (village dieties) - Annamma (Subedar Chatram Road), Dandina Mariamma (Shivajinagar), Patalamma (South End), Bisilu Mariamma (Lalbagh), Gangamma (Malleswaram), Muneswara, Bande Mahakalamma (Gavipura), Karumariyamma, and Duggalamma. The Anjaneya temples are popular and the oldest one in Bangalore is perhaps the Gali Anjaneya temple on Mysore Road, said to be established in 1425 by Vyasaraya. It is said to be the sixth of the 635 Anjaneya temples consecrated by Vyasaraya, Anjaneya temples at Yelahanka Gate and Karanji (Basavanagudi) are of Kempe Gowda's time.

Ragigudda and Mahalakshmi layout Anjaneya temples are quite popular and are of recent origin.

The oldest church in Bangalore is the one in Blackpalli (Shivajinagar), Kannika Matha Koil (1658), now upgraded by the Pope as St. Mary's Basilica. It is one of the six basilicas in the country. The other old churches are St. Luke's (Fort, 1830), St. Joseph's (Briand Square, 1857), St. Patrick's (Brigade Road, 1844), Sacred Heart's (Richmond Road, 1874) and others. Among the Protestant churches, the old ones are St. Mark's Cathedral (M.G. Road, 1808), Holy Trinity (M.G. Road, 1851), St. Andrews (Cubbon Road, 1867), East Parade (Dickenson Road, 1862), Wesley Church (Promenade Road, 1896), and Hudson Memorial (City Corporation, 1904).

The oldest masjid, Sangeen Jamia Masjid in Taramandalpet, was built by the Moghuls (1687-1690). Ibrahim Shah Sahele Masjid was built in 1761 (at Kumbarpete) by Hyder Khilledar Ibrahim Khan. Bademakan Masjid (Siddiah Road) was also built during Hyder's period by two Sufi saints hailing from Bijapur. Jumma Masjid (Old Poor House Road) was built by Abdul Quddus in the early 19th Century.

An important masjid is the Jamia Masjid (City Market) built in 1940 and opened by Sir Mirza Ismail. Among the 24 dargas in Bangalore, the popular ones are Kambal Posh Darga (Old Broadway), Hazarat Tawakkal Mastan Shah Darga (Cottonpet), and Besarwali Shahi Darga (Cubbonpet). Sufi saint Tawakkal worked incognito as an ordinary coolie in the construction of Tippu's Fort. His darga is dear to Muslims for its holiness and to Hindus as a resting place for the Karaga during the festival. The Dargas continue to be holy and respected. Places of worship of other religious faiths such as Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Parsees have beautiful architectural features.

The car festivals of many temples and churches such as those at St. Mary's Basilica, Kumaraswamy temple (Hanumanthanagar), Subramanya temple (Sajjanrao Circle), and Ulsoor Someswara temple are popular. So are the Karaga, Kadale Kai Parshe, Dasara by Lancers of Munireddipalya, and the car festivals of Grama Devathas. The existence of these many places of worship and the observance of festivals denote a catholicity of outlook, religious fervour, and fraternity of the common people.