Gandhis Teachers Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta

Author(s): Satish Sharma
Publisher: Gujarat Vidyapith Ahmedabad

Page 59

Jainism and Jain Goal of Life
3. Hinduism is based on the Vedic tradition. This tradition has been attributed to the Aryans, who arrived in India between 1700-1200 B.C. "Veda" means knowledge and there are four Vedas. Rig Veda and Sama Veda are collections of hymns. Yajur Veda is a collection of sacrificial formulas and Atharva Veda is a collection of charms and magical formulas. Together, they are also known as Samhitas. For thousands of years, Vedas were orally passed on from one generation to the next and were put into writing in much recent times. See: Rice, Edward, Eastern Definitions. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1978, p. 392. Also see: Radhakrishnan, S. and C. A. Moore, A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957; Sharma, C., A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987.
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4. Tirthankars are the founders of the Jain path. They were fully self-realized souls, whose teachings later became the Jain tradition. Also see: Chapter 2, footnote 66.
5. The Indus Valley Civilization refers to the Mohenjodaro and Harappa archaeological remains discovered in 1921. The excavations indicate the existence of a highly developed civilization in India between 3000-1700 B. C. This civilization had peaked before the "Aryans" immigrated to India from the northwest frontiers. See: Leonard, K. I., The South Asian Americans. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1997, pp. 3-5.
6. Rice, Eastern Definition... op. cit., 1978, pp. 193-194. 7. Rice, Eastern Definitions... op. cit., 1978, pp. 193-194. For more detailed information on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism as well as their interactive impacts, see: Radhakrishnan and Moore, A Source Book... op. cit., 1957; Sharma, A Critical Survey... op. cit., 1987; Jaini, J., Outlines of Jainism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1916; Mehta, M. L., Outlines of Jain Philosophy. Bangalore: Jain Mission Society, 1954; Tatia, N., Studies in Jain Philosophy. Banaras: Jain Cultural Research,