Historical Facts About Jainism

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

Page 88

used it in the derived meaning, must have adopted it from the Jains. Thus the use of the word asrava by the Buddhists was a proof of their posteriority with regard to Jainism.
The conclusive force of the argument could be illustrated by an analogy. The word 'influence' was used in most European languages in the same meaning which it had in linglish; etymologically it meant about the same as asvavit i.e., 'flowing in' or 'influx' being derived from the Latin 'fluere' to flow. But how did the word arrive at its present meaning which contained the idea of control and authority? By what metaphor did it come to this meaning ? The enigma was solved by a reference to medieval Latin ; wliere influence was used as an astrological term. lior from the stars was supposed to flow "an ethereal stream which affected the course of events on earth and the fortunes and characters of men." If the word influence had not first been used in the astrological sense, it could never have come to the meaning connected with its etymology only by that strange and now forgotten astrological theory. And just in the same way, Dr. Jacobi maintained that asrava would never have been used by the Buddhists in meaning so far removed from its etymology, if the Jains had not used it before in its etymological sense. P. 9-11.