Some Jaina Canonical Sutras c2: Author's Note
Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras c2
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Author's Note
c2.1
When I began my study of Jain texts I felt the urgent need of consulting some of the important Buddhist texts and commentaries to clear up some intricate points. In this monograph I have tried to present a critical account of the principal Jain canonical texts in the light of my comparative study of both Buddhist and Jain texts. As regards the contents of the Jain canonical sūtras, they are traditionally known as the pravacanas of the Jinas, particularly those of Mahāvīra, precisely as the main contents of the Pali Nikāyas are known as the sayings of the Buddhas, particularly those of Gautama. Their chief interest, therefore, lies in the clear presentation of various topics relating to the lives of the Jinas and their teachings. An attempt has been made here to acquaint the reader with the fundamentals of early Jainism as outlined in the Jain canon as well as some other interesting and relevant information.
c2.2
In the first chapter I have given a general account of the Jain canon, and in the following chapters a detailed treatment of some of the important Jain sūtras has been made. Such a study is a long-felt want, and I believe that the present publication will remove it to a certain extent.
c2.3
I am grateful to Dr. E. J. Thomas of Cambridge for his erudite Introduction, and I am also thankful to Mr. B. S. Nahar, B.A., for helping me with some Jain books whenever asked for. I am very much obliged to the authorities of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for including this monograph into their series.
c2.4
⁴³ Kailas Bose Street, Calcutta 6. 1st January, 1949. } B. C. LAW.
c2.5
the Lacedaemonians, who had been waiting for the signal, now attacked the city. The Plataeans, seeing the enemy already inside and their own men falling, and knowing nothing of the plot, were seized with panic and, thinking that the Thebans were far more numerous than they really were, surrendered at discretion. But when they discovered that the Thebans were few, they took heart and, resolving to attack them, closed the gates and fell upon them.
c2.6
The Thebans, finding themselves in a trap, began to defend themselves. Twice or thrice they repelled the attacks of the Plataeans, but when the women and slaves began to shout and throw tiles and stones from the houses, and a heavy rain began to fall, the Thebans, confused and blinded, broke and fled through the city. Most of them, not knowing the way in the darkness and rain, fell into the drains or were killed by the Plataeans, who knew the streets. The gate through which they had entered had been shut by a Plataean who had found a javelin-head and used it as a bolt, so that there was no way out. Pursued through the city, some climbed the wall and jumped down, most of them perishing; others reached the gate and, finding it shut, were cut down by the women and slaves. A small party, seeing a large building with an open door, rushed in, thinking it was a gate, and were captured.
c2.7
Meanwhile, the main body of the Thebans, who were to have arrived at daybreak to support the first party, had been delayed by the rain and the swollen river Asopus. When they heard of the disaster, they hurried to the city, intending to seize any Plataeans who might be outside the walls. The Plataeans, suspecting their intention, sent a herald to them, warning them not to harm the prisoners they had taken, and threatening to kill them if they did not withdraw from their territory. The Thebans, upon this, retired.
c2.8
The Plataeans, having thus cleared the city, collected their dead and the prisoners. The prisoners, numbering about one hundred and eighty, were executed the next day, despite a message from the Thebans claiming that they had surrendered on terms. The Plataeans denied this, asserting that they had promised to spare them only if they did not commit further acts of violence.
c2.9
Thus ended the attempt of the Thebans upon Plataea, an event which was the immediate cause of the war between Athens and the Peloponnesians. The Plataeans, having secured their city, sent a messenger to Athens with the news, and the Athenians, fearing for the safety of the Plataeans, sent a garrison to their aid and removed the women and children to Athens.