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philosophy. This view of the Jainas did not have as much influence on Hindu religion as was expected, but still, along with the acceptance of theistic philosophy the voices about human supremacy did resound simultaneously.
FREEDOM FROM OBSCURANTISM (ORTHODOXY)
Jaina religion liberated man from obscurantism. It made an effort to free human society from many orthodox practices of that period such as animal-sacrifice, priesthood and performance of rituals to please the ancestors etc. and therefore it opposed such practices. The Brahmin class, which called itself, the representative of God, began social exploitation, which the Jaina and Buddhist traditions tried to stop. The most important contribution of the Jaina and the Buddhist Acāryas was the re-defining of the notions of Yajñas etc. Some new definitions given to terms like 'Brahmana', 'Yajña' etc. by the Jaina Dharma are given below.
NEW MEANING OF BRAHMANA
Jaina tradition always accepted good conduct as the standard of greatness or smallness in human life, and that was called the basis of Brahminhood. In the 25th chapter of Uttarādhyayana Sūtra and in the ‘Brahmana' chapter of Dhammapada detailed discussions on the true meaning of Brahmana are available. We will stop this discussion by just presenting only two verses, as it would be too lengthy a discussion if taken in detail. Uttarādhyayana says, “A true Brahmana is one who is not attached to enjoyments of life, though born with objects of enjoyment like the lotus though born in water remains detached from it. One who is
Jainism and its History | 54
| SR No. | 032590 |
| Book Title | Jainism And Its History |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sagarmal Jain |
| Publisher | Research Foundation for Jainology |
| Publication Year | 2018 |
| Total Pages | 328 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 34 MB |