Historical Facts About Jainism

Author(s): Lala Lajpatrai
Publisher: Jain Associations of India Mumbai

Page 15

Yogavasishtha," Paninis® Ashtadhyayi and ancient inscriptions of Kharvel and Mathura," as also the writings of eminent European" and Indian Scholars and also of many. Indian historians and prominent leaders such as Lokmanya Tilak14 and Mahatma Gandhil have completely exploded many of the mistaken notions.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malavia considers Jainism as ancient as the Vedic religion and has classed it as one of the three branches of Aryan religion.18
Lokmanya Tilak, you are aware, was not only famous as a great political leader but also as a great mathematician, scholar, philosopher and historian. He says-"Jain religion is as old as the Vedic religion and the Satyachara of Vedas is the same as Jainachara”. 17 Your said views were never the popular views but they seem to be the views of some European writers18 who wrote without taking the trouble of making independent search and without sifting any historical materials. Moreover, it seems, they did not mñake a special study of Jainism.
HISTORIAN'S DUTY.
Your duty as a historian, we submit, is to give expression not merely to personal opinions relying upon exploded myths but to genuine historic truths in light of the latest researches. Tt is not open s to ignore the established