Jain Digest 1988 08 Vol 13 No 07

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 23

JAIN RELIGION IN INDIA'S HISTORY
AN HISTORIAN'S REFLECTIONS
Miss Vasanta Kumari Reader in History Maharani's College Mysore, India
Religion is the vital principle of world community and its role is dominant in moulding civilisation. India's civilisation indeed has blossomed on the glorious edifices of many religions and their doctrines. Jainism, the oldest in India as an organised religion, has hollowed Indian soil with its doctrines through twenty four Tirthankaras. India's civilisation has grown progressively in the broad horizon of social freedom, socio-economic equality and ethico-spiritual secularism doctrines of Jain philosophy. The legacy of Jainism to India's civilisation is unparallel. While European civilisation owes to the classics of Greek and Rome, Indian civilisation owes much to Jain Religion.
Jainism is a rational religion. Its contribution to India is multifacet. It laid foundation for the development of India's present languages and pioneered and perfected the Prakrit, the oldest language of India. In art and architecturs Jainas have achieved perfection and the Jain Shrines and temples scattered over the length and breadth of India from the ancient to the present stand as testimony.
Humanity owes much to the Jaina concept of Ahimsa, one of the dynamic doctrines of Jain Religion. It is a ray of hope to the harassed human existence and an ultimate denouement to universal Peace and Humanism. Mrs Anie Besant has expressed aptly: " The message of Jainism to humanity is Peace between man and man, man and animal, and Peace everywhere and in all things, a perfect brotherhood of all that lives"
The dynamic Spiritual Panditry and Power of Jainism is a forgotten episode in the pages of Indian history. Historical truths of Jain Religion have not been explored, either in the past or at present and due attention has not been paid.
Religious wars in terms of crusades might not have occured on India's soil but Jains collectively and individually have suffered religious persecutions in ancient southern India. Against odds, Jain religion and its followers still survived although in dwindling numbers. It is unbelievably true, often, that Jains from pass north of the Vindhyan mountains in India.novicely think that there are no Jain indigenous communities in the southern part of India.
Jain Religion is a pre-Aryan and non-Aryan Faith organised into a religion, by the first Tirthankara, Rishab, in the history of Indian antiquary, and thereupon till 2550 years ago many more Tirthankaras were born. Mahavira is the twentyfourth Tirthankara among such sages.
Jainism crossed the Indian boundary during the time of Alexander, the great Greek king and before and after king Asoka of Mauryan India. It crossed into Ceylon, China and Greece and thus Jain Religion has brought an impact on the body philosophy and peoples of these nations at those times. Researching into these unexplored events of
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