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Spread And Development of
Jainism In Orissa.
[SRI SADANANDA MISRA. ]
Origin of Jainism goes back to hoary antiquity. Jain scholars go beyond Vedic age to trace the origin of Jainism. The first soul Philosophy of the world was a gift of Risabha Deba, the first Jait: Tirthankara. He being the source of soul Philosophy (Atma Vidya) was afterwards regarded as Ādinath (Vide : Kalpa Sutra 194). But modern historians do not go beyond Pärsvanath and regard all other 22 Tirthankara as mythological figures. Jainism, being a pre-vedic religion has casted considerable influence upon the other religions which preceeded it. Most probably Ahimsă of Budhism and Patanjali's Yoga has had its origin in Jainism. Risabha Deba of Bhagabata is also identified by some scholars with the Ādi Tirthankar of Jainism. Pandit Nilakantha Das, an eminent scholar of Orissa holds that the word "Jagannath the name of the presiding deity of Puridham has a Jain origin.
Though Jainism with its rigid austerity and stern rules of self discipline unlike Tathāgata Buddha's middle path could hardly earn popular favour in India and further could not cross the frontiers of ancient Indian teritory and still it has an uniqueness of its own. Especially it has at present, a message for the modern world which is disintigrating fast yielding place to moral nilisim. That is the conception of Ahimsa of Jainism. If this panacea is successfully administered to the sick persons of the modern world, then it will not be irrational to anticipate that the enimity existing between persons and countries to-day shall be instantly extirpated. The fall of mankind in near future joto an preci. pice of ignoble destruction can be averted if the doctrine of Ahimsa is closely followed by all to-day.
