Jainism the Oldest Living Religion

SR No.: 001195
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jyoti Prasad Jain, Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi
Publication Year: 1988
Total Pages: 66
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, History, Religion, E000, & E999
File Size: 3 MB

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Jainism
teachers, and then make this new convert preach his new faith. This clearly proves two things, first, that in the early Vedic period conversions from the Brāhmanic faith to Jainism were very common and, secondly, that Jainism was already an established religion even in the earliest times and was more popular amongst the Non-Aryan indigenous races, called by the Aryans as Asuras, Daityas, Rākşasas etc.
And since, as Macdonnel says, “The Hindu Purāņas contain much that is old, and do not always borrow from Mahābhārata and Manu, but derive information from the Vedas themselves and from sɔme older collections", 1 the signi. ficance of these stories, particularly of the story of Veņu which is related by all ihe Purānas, cannot be over-estimated. It clearly takes back the antiquity of Jainism to about the very beginning of the Irāhmanic creation, or rather to a period prior to the origin of Brāhmanism itself.2
Purāņa, Jainism was preached by śukrācārya, the preceptor of the Asuras. Another version says that God Vişnu with the help of Fphaspati, the preceptor of the gods, sent Mahā Māyā (delusion) in the disguise of a Jaina Muni to mislead the Daityas. The Bhāgavata attributes the propagation of Jainism to Arhat, the King of Konk-Bek-Kutak, who was a devotee of Rsabha. For other instances see Skanda Purāņa (*6-27-48 p, 154-161), Visnu Purāna (Pt. III, Ch. 17-18), Siva Purāņa (Pt. 5, Ch. 4, 5) etc.
1A, A. Macdonnel-A History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 299,
2 In fact according to the Jaina tradition the Erāhmanas came into being much later. The original Varna was that of the Ksatriyas alone. Even according to the Brāhmanic Purānas themselves ( i. e. Vāyu 88, 5-7; Visnu 4, 2, 2; and Brahmānda 3,6?, 5.7 ) the progeny of Rathitara, the fifth in descent from Nābhāga who had turned a Vaisya and was a grandson of Manu, became the first Brāhmanas and were called Angirasas. And it would be interesting to note that the Mundak opanişad of sage Angiras shows, according to Dr. Hertell, unmistakable signs of Jaina influence (Indo-Iranian Studies etc. Vol. III).