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Impact of Vedic Tradition on Jainism
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the rituals have come from the influences of either Brāhmanic, Vedic or other traditions.
Jaina tradition basically is a part of śramanic tradition and therefore, in its original form it was against rituals and was mainly spiritualistic. The denunciation of rituals like yajña, oblations and bathing etc. in older scriptures like Uttarādhyayana proves this point. As we have mentioned earlier, the special feature of Uttarādhyayana is that it gave a spiritual form to the rituals or other ceremonies performed in the name of religion. Jaina tradition has openly opposed the acts of social exploitation by the Brahmin class in those days in the name of religious rituals and ceremonies such as yajñas, śrādhha and tarpaņa.
As a matter of fact, the followers of bhaktimārga who were opposed to Vedic rituals started the practice of worshipping idols while the śramanic tradition believed in tapas and meditation.
Jaina scriptures also mention the prevalence of yakşa-worship in the society. The devotional practices prevalent among the masses had an influence on the Jaina and Buddhist religions also, and the people developed an urge for worshipping Jina and Buddha along with the practices of penance, self-control and meditation. It first began with symbol-worship of stūpas and caityas and then
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