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Chapter I Historical Development of Jaina Sādhanā
Jainism is one of the oldest living religions of the world. Though at present the number of its followers is not more than eight millions, it has a rich spiritual, cultural and literary heritage to its credit. Indian religious quest has two main trends --- Brāhmaṇic and Sramanic. In the living world religions Jainism, as well as Buddhism, belong to the Sramanic trend. There were some other Sramanic religions also but either they like Ājivikas disappeared in the course of time or they, like Sānkhya-Yoga and other ascetic systems of Hindu religions became part and parcel of great Hindu religion by adopting some tenets of Vedic religion.
Sramanic tradition is soteriological in its very nature. It lays special emphasis on renunciation of worldly belongings and enjoyments and on emancipation from worldly existence, i.e., the cycle of birth and death. It may be accepted without any contradiction that these very ideas of emancipation (Mokşa/ Mukti/Nirvāṇa Kaivalya ) and renunciation (Tyāga/Samyama/ Vairāgya ) have been cultivated by the Sramanas. The asceticism is the fundamental concept of Sramanic tradition. It is on this ground that Jainism and Buddhism differ from the early Vedic religion. The early Vedic religion was against asceticism and emphasized the material welfare of the individual and the society. The Vedic seers in their hymns were praising the worldly existence and praying for their own health and wealth as well as of their fellow beings, while the Sramanas were condemning this worldly existence and propounding the theory that this
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