Historical Facts About Jainism

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

Page 21

life in all the objects viz. trees, slirubs, minerals, etc. is a sign of very great antiquity of religion and Jainism is noted for this doctrine of animisticism.31 Another sign of antiquity of Jainism is the similarity of its doctrines with Sankhya and Vedant Doctrines.
JAIN BELIEK.
"While the Jains believe that the original propounder of Jain religion was Shri Parswanatha who lived about 250 years before Lord Buddha"..-1). 12). HTO 50 As to your putting down Jains as believing Shri Parswanatha to be the original propounder of their religion, the same is absolutely false and baseless. As others believe their religion to be eternal, the Jains also believe their religion to be eternal. The Jain tradition is that as far as the present cycle is concerned; their religion began with Shri Rishabhdeva the first Lord. But even to independant thinkers there are unmistakable signs and conclusive historic evidence to put Jainism far beyond the ken of History.-- i.e. 750 B. C.32 The worship of Shri Rishabhdeva is proved in such ancient times as those of Nauda from Kharwel inscriptions.
KHARWEL AND MATHURA INSCRIPTIONS.
The inscriptions of Kharwel and Mathura above referred to bear this out. Of course no direct proof about Rishabhdeva · starting the