History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.310.4

v7.c91.310.4

India has been for thousands of years a country of nearly absolute tolerance, which is literally a religion, while European religiosity has nearly always been intolerant and, when not intolerant, it is tantamount to mental hostility or complete indifference Most Indian religious people were and are ready to agree that there may be alternative approaches to the mystery of life and the salvation of the soul. Indians feel amused at the claims of millions of people that some prophet revered by them has got the monopoly of the knowledge of God and the Hereafter. This tolerance for differing tenets and cults persisted in India with rare exceptions throughout the long stretch of time from centuries before Aśoka onwards till about 1200 A. D. when Moslems overran India. A few striking instances (both early and late) may be cited here: (1) Khāravela again, a Jain king of Kalinga (2nd or 1st century B C), granted freedom from taxation to brāhmanas in the 9th year of his reign (E I vol. XX. p. 79 and 88); (2) The Nasik cave Ins No. 10 records that Usavadāta, son-in-law of Ksatrapa Nahapāna of the Kşaharāţa lineage made very large gifts to gods and brāhmanas on the s of sacred rivers and at Bharukaccha (modern Broach), pura, Govardhana and donated a field for feeding a congreon of Buddhist monks (E. I. Vol. VIII p. 78); (3) The ia kings were generally devotees of Visnu but they also gifts to Buddhist monks e. g. Gupta Inscription No. 5 upta Inscriptions' ed.