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CONTRIBUTION OF JAINA WRITERS TO THE NYAYA-VAISEȘIKA LITERATURE
J. N. JAITLEY
Historical Position of Jainism :
All the existing Indian philosophical systems excepting the Cārvāka have their close connection with the chief ancient religions of India, viz. Brāhmaṇa or Vedic, Jaina and Bauddha. When we examine the literary work of these three religions we find that Ācāryas of these different religions studied the works of other religions. Their study of other systems is generally shown, when they have to refute the rival schools in their dialectical works. It is, however, not usual to find a scholar following one religion writing a work independently or in the form of a commentary on the tenets of other religions. There are however a few exceptions. For example, Durveka Miśra and Arcața, though followers of Brāhmaṇism, wrote commentaries on the Hetubindu of Dharmakirti, a famous Buddhist logician. The Jainācāryas provide, however, more examples of this type of activity. They have contributed in the form of commentaries to the secular as well as non-secular works of the other two religions. In this dissertation I propose to study the contribution of Jainācāryas to the NyāyaVaiseșika literature.
At the outset one is tempted to ask the question as to why the Jainācāryas should have gone out of their way to contribute to the literature of other schools. In order to understand this problem it is necessary to trace the historical position of Jainism in the main current of Indian culture.
Jainism as a sect is supposed to have had its historical existence from the time of Mahāvīra, the twentyfourth Tirthankara of Jainas. Some scholars take it as far back as Pārsvanātha, the twentythird Tirthařkara, who is generally placed in the 8th Century B.C.
In the history of Indian culture Jainas and Buddhists are known as Sramaņas. A sort of antagonism between Sramaņas and Brāhmaṇas appears to have become part of the old tradition. The compound STAT ब्राह्मणम् according to the Panini rulel येषां च विरोधः शाश्वतिकः is a clear indication of the same.
This item of our tradition requires some close consideration. For this purpose it would be interesting to note the rise of Sramaņa sects in
1 Pātañjala Mahābhāşya, P. 539,
