________________ judgements without a proper study and understanding of Jainism. These Western thinkers have stated that Jainism was founded by Lord Mahavira and that its philosophy was not an ancient school of thought and it is an offshoot of Vedic religion. Some of these thinkers have gone so far as to say that both the Jaina and Buddhist philosophies are rebellious daughters of the Vedic culture which were expounded for condemning the sacrificial, ritualistic and ceremonial religious practises of the Vedic people sanctioned by the Vedas. The second cause is false propaganda carried on by malicious people to the effect that Jainism is not a AL theocentric school of thought and that it does not uphold belief in God, the Creator of the world and, the refore, it is taken for granted as one of the athestie (Nastika) philosophical systems ** India. The third cause is the wrong notion prevailing among certain classes of people that Jainism observed the tenets of 'Ahimsa 80 blindly that it mde people cowards and weaklings. The fourth cause is that the adherents of Jainism mostly belonged to the mercantile community which is backward in education and metaphysical culture. ' of mhe se misapprehensions about Jainism were prevalent in the public mind for a long time, but they were removed in due course by the study of Jaina philosophy and scholars of international fame began to appreciate its wonderful doctrines without any reservations. Finally those far famed scholars arrived at the conclusion that Jainism/entirely 18
