Doctrine of Liberation in Indian Religion

Author(s): Shivkumarmuni
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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THE JAINA TRADITION
Civilization. Thus Jyoti Prasad Jain approvingly quotes following words of Prof. S. Srikantha Sastri :
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"The Indus Civilization of c. 3000-2500 B.C., with its nudity and yoga, the worship of the bull and other symbols, has resemb⚫ lance to Jainism, and, therefore, the Indus Civilization is supposed to be non-Aryan or of non-Vedic origin."31
Dr Hira Lal Jain has also traced the origins of Jainism to Harappan culture. Among other things, he notes the striking resemblance between a Harappan piece of stone sculpture representing a nude male with the torso of a nude male found from Lohānīpur.32 THE AGE OF MAHAVIRA
It seems that the community of the followers of Pārsvanatha was flourishing in east India, especially in Magadha in the age of Mahāvīra. It was an age of considerable changes in the cultural history of India. Politically there were two main forms of government, one monarchical and the other republican. Magadha and Kośala represented strong monarchies which believed in expansionism and imperialism. On the other hand, the Licchavis of Vaiśālī, Šākyas of Kapilavastu, the Mallas of Kuśīnagara etc., represented republican tradition. They loved their freedom and democratic institutions. There were frequent wars between the kingdoms and republics. King Ajataśatru of Magadha, for example, is reported to have been the enemy of the Licchavis of Vaiśālī. Likewise, King Viḍudabha of Kośala is known to have attacked and harmed the Sakyas of Kapilavastu. Another important political event of the age was the Persian invasion of Panjab. This, however, had practically no impact on the history of Magadha and Kosala.35
The century in which Vardhamana Mahāvīra flourished was a time of religious upheaval also. Old Vedic religion was declining. The sacrificial ritualism of the Vedic brāhmaṇas had to face a strong challenge posed by the religion and philosophy taught by munis and śramanas. The ideological conflict between the brāhmaṇas of the Vedic tradition on one hand, and śramaņas of the non-Vedic tradition on the other hand, is reflected in the earliest literature of the Buddhists
31. J.P. Jain, Jainism the Oldest Living Religion, p. 51, quoting Jaina Antiquary, XV, 2, p. 58.
32. Hira Lal Jain, Bharatiya Sanskriti mein Jaina Dharma kā Yogadāna, pp. 342-343. 33. See H.C. Raychaudhuri, Political History of Ancient India, 1953, pp. 187 ff. 239 ff.