The early Jainas were clever communicators. From sensuous poetry to voluptuous sculptures, tales that were both explicit and explorative, and even games, they employed a range of innovative techniques to explain and transmit their teachings. Sudhamahi Regunathan, a former vice-chancellor of the Jain Vishva Bharati University, takes a leaf out of their book as she writes this introduction to Jainism. Using an array of stories and myths, she starts with a historical account of the first twenty-three Tirthankaras as narrated in the Jaina texts and goes on to delve into the philosophy of the religion. The discussions on the tenets that form the bedrock of Jainism are illuminating - be it anekanta, the belief in the multi-dimensionality of truth; santhara, the controversial practice of voluntarily embracing death; or the interplay between desire and restraint, which is at the heart of Jainism's simple way of life. Regunathan also highlights the contribution of the Jainas to building a common Indian ethos, and throws light on Jainism's many distinctions. It is a little known fact, for instance, that the first nun was initiated into the Jaina order long before the start of the Christian era. Scholarly yet accessible, The Colours of Desire on the Canvas of Restraint hopes to upturn the popular notion that Jainism is a 'dry' religion as it takes its readers into an austere yet colourful world.

The Colours of Desire on the Canvas of Restraint: The Jaina Way

Regunathan, Sudhamahi

Religion & Spirituality

Element

<p>The Jaina Agamas are believed to have come down from Mahavira. Some of them even pre-date him. The stories in the agamas were conceptualized as a means to convey the austere teachings of the Jainas in a more relatable, 'entertaining' manner.<br /> <br /> For the first time, Sudhamahi Regunathan has translated a selection of these and other stories from Jaina literature into English. Ranging from the funny to the tragic, each story has a lesson embedded in it. A dancing girl who teaches a monk the meaning of restraint, a butcher's son who is pressurized by his family to continue his father's violent profession, a young man who wants to study the Kamasastra and more such colourful and interesting characters populate the pages of this book.</p>

From One Birth to Another: Stories from Jaina Literature

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Harper India

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Books by Regunathan, Sudhamahi