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INTRODUCING JAINISM
I. Prolegomena
Jainism is one of the greatest important religions of the world. Though originated in the eastern part of India, the then Magadha (now in Bihar), in course of time, it spread to the entire terrain of India side by side with Hinduism and Buddhism. The basic tenets of Jainism, which Mahāvīra preached, are the doctrines of Karma, rebirth and moksa (Salvation); its concept of the world as eternal and imperishable is unique in its nature; its contributions to the philosophy of anekāntavāda, syādvāda and nayavāda are considered as the highest manifestations of human critical faculties; its expositions on social justice and equality are uncommon in human history; and finally, its philosophy of ahimsā (non-violence) is unparalleled and unmatched in the history of mankind. From time immemorial till today, the Jains have been toiling much for the propagation of their doctrines. What is Jainism today is the outcome of the contributions of Lord Mahāvira towards the growth and development of human history.
It should be borne in mind that the time of Mahāvīra, that is, the sixth century B.C., is extraordinarily important in the intellectual history of mankind. Some great men were born at that time. In India we had Vardhamāna Mahāvīra and. Gautama Buddha, in Persia Zoroaster, in China Confucius and Lao-tzu and in Greece Pythagoras-all were promulgating their new doctrines in their respective countries, and as a result, some basic human religious ideas emerged out of their doctrines. All these great men revolutionized some of the then fundamental ideas of human beings. Mahāvira's contribution towards the religious development of mankind is a great landmark and unparalleled in many ways in the annals of human history.
It is to be noted that seers and saints, philosophers and poets, theologians and thinkers, playwrights and writers, great men and reformers are born in this world only to mould the destiny of men from generation to generation. They have left their riveted thoughts and trenchant ideas only to influence the opinions of their followers with the instructiveness and values of their lives which lay in the
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