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if, even in such works, the tenor of discussion points to the conclusion that "Mahavira founded Jainism" then we will only ask our critic if he is justified in condemning our little primer for the statement:--"We shall tell the story of Mahavira, who founded Jainism" especially when he knows that it is meant for young boys who learn so little and forget so readily that it is always safe to avoid crowding them with too many details and obscure facts.
III.The second and third points to which our critic sojects are. He [ Mahavira] joined an order of monks founded by Parsavanath." and "he remained a member of the order for several years, but could not obtain peace of mind. So when he was about forty years of age he cut off his connection with the order and founded a religious system of his own called Jainism." He then gives his own or Jain point of view. "The Tirathankaras (Jinas) do not become the disciple of any second person. They themselves obtain omniscence by meditation and then preach the same doctrine as their predecessors [previous Tirrthankaras] did. Parsavanath was the predecessor of Mahavira and the parents of the latter were the followers of the order of Parsavanath, hence it follows that Jainism existed even before him and Mahavira was born of a Jaina family.." Further he says: "It is altogether wrong and baseless. Mahavira never joined
