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Jaina Religion: Its Historical Journey of Evolution 21
changed from animal sacrifice to sacrifice of selfinterest, social upliftment or social service. We have to remember that today's Hindu religion is infact, a combination of Vedic and Sramanic cultures. The voice raised by Upanişadic seers against Vedic ritualism has only been forcefully raised by Jaina and other Sramanic traditions. It should not be forgotten that the Upanişadic seers have been the pioneers in raising their voices against Vedic ritualism; they are the ones who first said that the boats of sacrifices or yajñas lack solidity and cannot be instrumental in spiritual growth. Yajñas and Vedic ritualism are defined in a new light of spiritualism by these Upanişadic secrs and the author of the Gītā. The Buddhist and Mahāvīra's Jaina traditions have only followed and moved on the path laid down by Upanișadic seers; they are only echoing the voices of the Upanisadic seers against Vedic ritualism, casteism by birth and other beliefs. This is clearly proved by the fact that Upanișadic sages are accepted as Arhat sages in the Jaina and Buddhist traditions.
It is true that Śramaņa traditions rejected the authority of the Vedas, animal sacrifice and caste by birth and thus, they presented themselves as reformers of Indian culture. It should not, however, be forgotten that while refining and purifying Indian culture and eradicating these deformitics
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