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Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jaina Mythology
but the imposition of some restriction on the members of the four Varnas with reference to their duties and employments
32
210
Thus, we find that the authors are at great variance with one another with regard to the origin, duties and position of the Brahmanas And it is obvious that the discrepancies and inconsistencies in the different versions are the results of the individual reactions against the ascendancy of the Brahmanas, the only opponents of Jainism The accounts, however, show the dominance of the Varna in the fourfold social system together with the mixed castes during the periods which the works represent
Whatever may be their reaction against the Brahmanical ascendancy, the works exhibit remarkable agreement with the Brahmanical sources with regard to the origin of the classes as well as the mixed castes The MP, for example, tells us that originally there existed a single race of undivided body of mankind which subsequently got divided into four Varnas due to the different modes of living adopted by the people 33 Now, our study of the Brahmanical sources reveals the same truth regarding the pristine position of mankind The Ramayana says that in the early days of creation the entire populace consisted of a single class The Mahabharata also holds that "there is no distinction between the different classes; the entire mankind related to Brahma and created originally by Brahma (the people), on account of their acts, has been divided into various classes "35 The Vayupurana, too, states that in the Kṛta age the institution of class and order was non-exis
32 Ibid, V 9-10
33 मनुष्यजातिरेकैव जातिनामोदयोद्भवा । वृत्तिभेदाहितादभेदाच्चातुविध्य मिहानुते ||
-MP 38 45. Also JHV 7 103a
34 Ullarakanda, 30 21
35
न विशेषोऽस्ति वर्णाना सर्व ब्राह्ममिदं जगत् । ब्रह्मणा पूर्वसृष्ट हि कर्मभिर्वतां गतम् ॥
-MBh XII, 188.10
