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RIŞABHA DEVA
have attended upon him in his ' rambles. As we shall see later on all this tallies with the life of the first Tirthamkara in a very remarkable manner. Not the least significant is the reference in the Yoga Vasiştha (xv. 8) to Jainism, where Rama himself says :
नाहं रामो न मे वाल्छा भावेषु न च मे मनः ।
शान्त श्रासितुमिच्छामि स्वात्मनीव जिनो यथा ॥८॥ [Tr. Rama said : I am not Rama (object of meditation for yogis), nor (am I free from) desires ; I wish to attain, in mine own self, the tranquillity of the Jina (Conqueror, ¿. e., Tirthamkara) !)
This shows that Jainism was flourishing at the time of Rama which is very very ancient according to Hindu reckoning.
The confirmation from outside Jainism of its sacred tradition is not to be wondered at. It is precisely what is to be expected if its teaching is really concerned with Truth, and the emancipation of souls. The explanation of the differences of the other religions with Jainism as well as with one another among themselves, is to be found in their resort to allegorical style, as has been explained in my works on comparative religion. The truth is that different on their outward surface, they are nevertheless at one with one
