Jainthology

SR No.: 006577
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ganesh Lalwani
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 1991
Total Pages: 294
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 8 MB

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source book for the comparative study of Jaina religion and philosophy. There are several articles which deal with the comparative aspect of Jaina philosophy. Besides the texts of Syādvāda-mañjari and Prameyakamala-mārtanda, two pioneer works adumbrating the Jaina viewpoints in juxtaposition with the six systems of Indian Philosophy, the Reals in Jainism by K. B. Jindal is a nice selection which describes the comparative aspect of all systems of Indian Philosophy with particular reference to Jainism. Along with this, the article on the Vibhajjavāda by Sagarmal Jain, the Refutation of Advaita Vedānta in Major Jaina Works by Yajneswar S. Shastri, and the Jaina Influence in the Formation of Dvaita Vedānta by Robert J. Zydenbos, forming a trio, will give a comprehensive idea about the standpoint of Jaina philosophy in relation to others, But Mohan Lal Mehta has emphasized that the Jainas have contributed a number of original ideas to ontological, epistemological and logical concepts of the philosophical thoughts of India, even though, "the Jaina philosophy has some similarities with the other Indian philosophical schools.” (p. 193).
One of the most interesting selections of the anthology is the article which deals with the population of the Jainas in India by Jagadish Prasad Sharma. In his opinion, Sharma asseverates poignantly that statistically the Jainas have always been a minority in Indian society. In his paper Jainas as a Minority in Indian Society and History, he has penned the picture from two points of view. For modern times comprising nearly hundred years his agrument is based on the Census Report of the Government of India published since 1881. Though, says he, "scholars have long raised questions regarding the accuracy of census figures", but "even allowing for misrepresentations, their population in India would not amount to more than three million at the most". (p. 222) Apart from this method, the population of the Jainas from the very inception of their religion has been ransacked from the pages of history. He has nicely analysed the origin, growth and development of the Jaina community in India and has come to the conclusion that though in reality the Jainas have never been the highest in population, in ancient and mediaeval periods they were the strongest exponents of the then India in intellectual and literary activities. In this short paper, Sharma has picturesquely delineated the contributions of the Jainas, even as a minority, to the different branches of human knowledge. He asserts by saying that "the Jains have extended their activities beyond the sphere of their own religious literature to a far greater extent than the Buddhists have done, and they have memorable achievements in the secular sciences to their credit, in philosophy, grammar, lexicography, poetics, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, and even in the science of
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