Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1910 Book 06

Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference

Page 314

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જૈન કાન્ફરન્સ હેરલ્ડ.
[21227042
AN APPEAL TO JAINS.
"Jainism is generally recognized as a distinct religion, but in certain parts the Jains themselves strongly assert their claim to be Hindus, and some of them were doubtless thus entered at the census."
Above is an extract from the "Imperial Gazetteer Vol.I".
Amelioration of a nation, or relegion chiefly depends on its numerical value; & that being in itself defective, no proper idea can be formed, & in the absence of which all the way for a reformer, for conference, & even for a private thinking mind is barred towards progress. A Hindu would never like to be himself enumerated as a Mohomedan, Jain or Christian, nor the Mohomedans, Christians or Budhists would like to be enlisted of other religion than that in which the accident of birth has placed them or which they already profess; or in other words none would like to reduce the number of his religionists by causing himself to be enumerated as the member of another religion. Why then, my brothers should do this, I am at a loss to know.
In the words of Mr. Crooke "The numerical strength of the Jains is now 1 millions & it shows a tendency to decrease; but this is perhaps more nominal than real, as there seems to be a growing disposition among them to describe themselves as Hindus." If we are unable to promote the cause of our religion (which the most of our philanthropic gentry I am sure, struggling hard to do), why we should be bent on its deterioration.
In short, I won't intrude upon the valuable time of my co-religionists, by putting in detail before them the prejudices, that such an action is likely to cause to our sacred religion, the Jainism. Suffice it to say that the act is "to cut the branch of a tree from the root on which one sits himself."
In order to check these unseeming slides from the everexisting rock of the Jain religion, I would
crave my
brothers