Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman, Jain King of Madurai
syād-asti—in some ways, it is;
syād-nāsti—in some ways, it is not;
syād-asti-nāsti—in some ways, it is, and it is not;
syād-asti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, and it is indescribable;
syād-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is not, and it is indescribable;
syād-asti-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, it is not, and it is indescribable;
syād-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is indescribable.
--The
Syādvāda or Theory of Conditioned Predication, a system of logic proving Anekāntavāda, or the multiplicity of reality's viewpoints.
The most important corner of the
Swarna Tribuja or Golden Triangle of the Indian subcontinent is the city of Bhubaneswar or Ekamra Kshetra or Mandira Malini Nagari in Odisha or Orissa or Kalinga, depending on one's perspective. No matter the viewpoint assumed, however, the city seen is the same one; a metropolis that has been continuously inhabited for more than two thousand years, by people of all faiths, and all creeds. Throughout the city--which we shall call the Temple City for ease--philosophical-religious discourse can be heard on every street-corner, and calls to prayer ring out for every faith during the day.
Outside of the Temple City, however, carven into the Udayagiri or Khandagiri or Sunrise Hills (depending on one's perspective, of course), is the real and ancient power which rules this and every city south of the delta of Bengal. There, the monks sit in peaceful contemplation of the endless complexity of reality, in the cool moist air of the cave-monasteries. The Jains rule here, and in every place of this land. This is the story of how they came to be here.
This is the story of how the Jains came to rule.
Excerpt from The Heirs of Kharavela
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Hi there! I'm Nataraj, and I've been a lurker for a really long time. In all my time reading, however, I've never seen anyone try to restore Jainism to a prominent place in the world, or at least India. That is the aim of this TL, as well as bringing the Tamils up out of the dust and creating a lasting Tamil state. With that said, I don't really know what's going to happen, except for Jains all over the place! This is just a teaser; there will be much much more later this week!