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CHAPTER VIII
RELIGION
The Nistha Curņi being a treatise on Jaina religion provides ample material on the religious life of the people. Its contribution to Jaina religion and ethics is above par, but its importance may not be minimised in understanding the general religious and moral outlook of the country.
However, our knowledge of the other religious sects is not as exhaustive as of Jainism and there is a definite lack of sufficient data to enable us to know the internal activities of the other religions. Below, an account is given of the various religious sects of the time and a generl picture of the religious activities of the people as disclosed by the Nisitha Curni. Jainism1
Change is the law of nature; everything in this world is changing incessantly. Yet, in the fields of religion and philosophy the changes are perceptible only after centuries. One is astonished to see the divergence of later Jainism from the original teachings of Lord Mahavira. Religion has its moorings in society and the action and reaction between the two are bound to affect some changes. Yet, sometimes the changes are so fundamental that no amount of reconciliation can help in sponsoring a precise explanation. Theoretically,
1. For the religious, philosophical, ethical and monastic aspects of Jainism, readers may consult my thesis "Some Aspects of Religion and Philosophy as Known from the Nisitha Curni" (submitted in lieu of two papers of the Post-graduate Diploma Examination of Indian History and Culture, Banaras Hindu University, 1966). These aspects are being excluded from the present work in order to avoid the unnecessary bulk of the thesis; only a general outline of Jainism as a religion is thought advisable to be given here.
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