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Jainism is not a Rebellious Child of
Vedicism or Hinduism
JYOTI PRASAD JAIN
Some modern scholars, owing mostly to deeprooted prejudices or other sentimental reasons, persist in asserting that Jainism is an offshoot of Brahmanism or that the Jainas are merely Hindu dissenters like the Buddhists, even though their religion is quite independent of and much older than the latter.
There are, however, absolutely no grounds for holding such an opinion. We have innumerable allusions in the Brahmanic literature from the Vedas down to the Puranas and other mediaeval works, to the Jainas, their religion, its Tirthankaras and even their doctrines, some times ridiculing and denouncing them, at others praising and applauding them, while very often misunderstanding and misinterpreting them. In certain places, devotion to Jina or to particular Tirthankaras, even Jaina ascetics, is ranked much higher than all the religious observances enjoined by the Srutis and Smţtis.
Prof. V. P. Vadyar, a reputed Vedic scholar says, “According to the Jaina scriptures, Marici, the grandson of Rsabhadeva, was a materialist. Because the Vedas represent the same materialistic spirit, it was certainly due to him that they came to be popular. Consequently there are some hymns to be found in the Vedas and Purānas in the memory of sage Marici, and there are mentions of the Jaina Tirthankaras at many places. Hence there is no reason why we should not accept the existence of Jainism in the Vedic age.”
Barrister C. R. Jain, successfully refuting the Hindu-dissenter theory, concludes, “Thus Jainism, the creed of the holy Tirthankaras, far from being a daughter or rebellious child of Hinduism, is actually the basis of that undoubtedly ancient creed, and if there was any borrowing, it was more the other way round.” Prof. H. Jacobi says, “In conclusion, let me assert my conviction that Jainism is an original system, quite distinct and
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