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GLIMPSES OF JAINOLOGY
(Dr RAM CHANDRA ADHIKARI)
1. The term "Jainology” is not very familiar to most people. It includes within its purview Jaina religion and philosophy, art and architecture specific in character, buicography by Jaina samants; contribution to various sciences like medicine, botany, zoology etc, some of them have been handed down from hoary antiquity, while many are compiled after the date of the last pathfinder Bhagwan Mahavira Swami (an older contemporary of gautama Buddha). Certainly he is more known than the pathfinder in the world who preceded him but he is not the founder of the extensive philosophy and religion of the Jainas. Foreign scholars, curiously enough, have written-Jainism is a branch of Buddhism The earliest Tirthankara is mentioned in the Rigveda, regarded as the most ancient treatise in India.
2. The twenty two Tirthankaras are not regarded as historical personalities History is not constant always and so-called historical facts are not necessary mathematical truths. Jainism has a very long history, the predecessors of Bhagwan Mahavira Swami transmitted down the tenets successively through centuries, possibly millenia Sri Aurobindo once wrote "that Jesuschrist existed is not proved beyond doubt". The older pathfinders are 'bridge personalities" Linking the past with present
3. History of a religion or philosophy is not so important as their influence on the thoughts of people that the religion of the Shramanas (as distinguished from Vedicexponents) spread for and wide in the south and West even in Sri Lanka is solid truth of observation.
4. Bhagwan Mahavira demonstrated the way of life to be followed by his example as well as precepts. Man is the highest of creation and the level of humanity is reached in the process of evolution. Possessed of an eternal unperishable soul. man is capable of reaching the state of bliss and be atitude here or hereafter by personal individual endeavour. independent of any supermundane agency or heavenly grace Men differ from one another vecause their souls are polluted with dirt of their own karma-action in life, good or bad according to ethical standard. Life span, birth in a particular environ misery or happinessal are the resultant of his personal karma Naturally, many births have to be recognised to
u the goal of bliss, not to come down to the world full of misery and evil.
5. Thus Jainism is not a sectarian religion nor limited to any particular region or Tace There is evidence of the fact that Bengal was influenced by Lord Mahavira The city Bardhaman (anglicised into Burdwan) was a place where he preached Archaeological
ave shown relics of Jainism in the Eastern parts of Bengal.
finds have shown relle
