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THE A, B, C OF JAINISM.
[The writer of this article Mr. Chimanlal J. Shah is a Jain Graduate of Bombay University now engaged on research into the history of Jains in Northern India for writing an authoritative and reliable thesis on the subject. He is a very painstaking student of Jainism and has made this maiden attempt by writing the short paper which will be found both instructive and interesting. We are in a great need of a book which can give a comprehensive and succint view of the principles of Jain philosophy and religion and such need will. I hope, be fulfilled by several attempts at the hands of cur Jain Graduates who are growing in number every year. -Mohanlal D. Desai]
Introduction. ABOUT the antiquity of Jainism there remains very little to be
said, because scholars and historians have left almost nothing to speculate about. That Jainism is an offshoot of Buddhism or Brahmanism or that Mahavira was the founder of Jainism is what is historically both unsound and wrong.
From certain inscriptions from Mathura we see that they are dedicated to Rishabha, the first of the twenty-four Tirthankaras of Jainism. If He was the founder of Jainism there is no reason why people some 600 years after Him should dedicate their inscriptions to any one but Mahavira. Furthermore Parshvanatha, the predecessor of Mahavira, is now considered to be a historical personage by the modern historians. The date of Parshvanatha as fixed by them is c. 800 BC About this Dr. Guerinot says in his introduction to his “Essay on Jaina Bibliography."
“There can no longer be any doubt that Parshvanatha was a historical personage. According to the Jaina tradition He must have lived a hundred years, and died 250 years before Mahavira, His period of activity therelore corresponds to the 8th century
B.C. Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
