Jainism and Dr Gours Hindu Code

SR No.: 006706
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Champat Rai Jain
Total Pages: 14
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 1 MB

Page 4

of Hinduism or Buddhism or vice versa. One of them merely refers to the following passage from M. S. Elphinstone's History of India as an available piece of information :
............. The Jainas appears to have originated in the sixth or seventh century of our era; to have become conspicuous in the eighth or ninth century; got to the highest prosperity in the eleventh and declined after the twelth."
This was, no doubt, the opinion prevalent among carly Orientalists 'who knew very little about Jainism. But all recent rescarchers are now at one in recognising the fact that it was an error to regard Jainism as an off-shoot of Buddhism. There is no difference or dissent as to this to-day amongst Orientalists and researchers, whether European or Indian. Prof. T.W. Rhys Davids says (see "Buddhist India" p. 143):---
"The Jainas have remained as an organised community all throughlthe History of India from before the rise of Buddhism down to to-day."
According to Elphinstone, Jainas appeared to have originated in the sixth century A. D., but Rhys Davids shows that the Jaina Canon was reduced to writing in the fourth century B. C. On p: 164 of his "Buddhist India he says:
"The books purport to be substantially the ones put to gether in the 4th century B. C. when Bhadrabahu was head of the community."
Elphinstone, however, only said that Jainas appeared to have originated etc., but Dr. Gour is positive that Jainism is only a child of Buddhism. “It is in reality a compromise between Buddhism and Hinduism," What is Dr. Gour's authority for transforming this guarded qualified expression of opinion of an early European thinker into the positive assertion in para 331 of the Hindu Code is only known to him; but can he plead ignorance of the conclusions reached since 18$1 by impartial research? Dr. T. K. Laddu a Hindu scholar in recent times says :"We cannot trace any reliable history of Jainism beyond
" Jhonne Mahavira. This much however is certain that Jainism