Historical Facts About Jainism

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

Page 73

"Taken together with the Kalpasutra, the inscriptionis liberate an important portion of the tradition of the Svetambaras from the suspicion of being a forgery. The part of the Sthaviravali which we can now control, proves to contain on the whole trustworthy account of the development of the Svetambara branch of the Jains, which shows only such accidental mistakes and omissions ils may be expected to occur in a late reclaction of an oral tradition. This result is certainiy encouraging for those wlio, like Professor Jucolii and myself, contend that the Jains tradition must not be placed under exceptional laws of criticism, but must be treated like every other tradition, i.e. that it must be credited, if it is. suljyported by other independent informatiuit, vierired froni historical documents or from the tuition of other sects, and that the Jaina nia in Svad va must be ablilieci, if such support is wanting.
The agreement of Mathura inscriptions with the Kaipasutra shows further, that the Jainas of that town were Svetambaras and that the great schism which divided the Jaina community into two hostile sections, took place, not as the modern tradition asserts, in 609 after Vira, but long before the beginning of our era. The latter view has been already put forward by Professor Jacobi who, relying on the Pattavalis of the Svetambaras' and of the Digambaras, has placed their