Jainism in Bengal during the Pāla Period as revealed in the Buddhist Dohas

Summary

Chitta Ranjan Pal uses a neglected group of Buddhist lyric poems known as doha‑koṣas to reassess the status of Jainism in eastern India during the Pāla period (8th–12th centuries). Scholars have often assumed that the Buddhist devotion of the Pāla rulers led to a sharp decline of Jainism in Bengal. Pal argues, however, that the Dohākoṣa texts of Saroja Vajra and their commentary by Advaya Vajra portray Jainism as one of the six popular religious systems of the time. The article summarises H.P. Sastri’s discovery and publication of these Bengali manuscripts, describes the Sahaja‑Yāna milieu in which they were composed and analyses passages where Jain monks (kṣapaṇakas) are criticised for ascetic practices such as nail‑growing, head‑shaving and nudity. Pal notes that the very need to refute Jainism shows its vitality and popularity; Buddhist authors acknowledged its widespread following even while attacking it. He explores how Advaya Vajra’s glosses reinterpret the term Ṣaḍdarśana, the ‘six philosophies’, to include religious sects such as the Brahma, Īśvara, Arhanta (Jain), Bauddha, Lokāyata and Sāṃkhya. The author concludes that Jainism maintained a robust presence in Bengal throughout the Pāla era, retaining adherents and monastic networks despite royal patronage of Buddhism. The article enriches our understanding of inter‑religious dynamics in medieval Bengal and demonstrates the value of reading hostile sources for evidence of the communities they criticise.