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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
that time upto the present day Jainism is well represented in this country. This means that the Jaina community, which from its very inception belongs to this land, is one of the most ancient communities of India. Further, the Jainas are a religious community, which is quite distinct from other communities in India. The independence of Jaina religion is now acknowledged on all hands. It is established beyond doubt that Jainism is a distinct religion of India and not an offshoot of either Buddhism or Brahmanism. We find that from ancient times two different types of culture, viz., the Brāhmaṇa culture and the Śramana culture, have been existing side by side and of these two the Jainas still represert the Śramana culture. The Jaina religion, philosophy, ethics, gods, temples, sacred places, object, manner and places of worship, sacred books, cosmology, mythology, ideology, teachers, ascetics, vows, holy days, rites, fasts, festivals, outlook on life and culture with its emphasis on Ahimsa, i. e., non-injury to living beings, are not only distinct from their Hindu counterparts but also not accepted and followed by the Hindus. Even in the observance of certain common customs and manners the Jaina way of looking at them is quite different from that of the Hindus. The Hindus regard the marriage as a religious sacrament, while the Jainas consider it as a civil contract. Among the Hindus adoption is a religious ceremony; this is not so among the Jainas. According to Jaina Law a widow inherits the property of her deceased husband, but this position is not accepted by the Hindus. In the death ceremonies the Jainas do not observe the days in memory of the dead. In the matters of food and drink, dress and ornaments and occupations and professions the Jairas are strictly required to observe the main precept of Jainism, viz., non-injury to living beings; but this restriction is not there for the Hindus. The Jainas participate in the Hindu religious festivals but not with a religious motive. The Hindu gods are worshipped and the Hindu Brahmins are employed for ceremonial purposes by some Jainas for one reason or another. As the observance of such avowedly non-Jaina practices is against the tenets of Jainism, with the spread of religious educatior these irreligious practices are slowly but surely dwindling in the Jaina community. In fact any distinctly religious Hindu practice is nowadays openly resented by the leading Jainas, if it is observed by their fellow members. The Jainas no longer regard themselves
