Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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58 Jain Philosophy in Historical Outline
in post-Rgvedic literature. The purely pastoral economy of the Vedic tribes eventually declined, owing to their adoption of agriculture and some agricultural cults and rituals, but the patriarchal social organisation and patrilinear inheritance were retained. These traits are historical realities which can be identified, traced and documented, and as an undifferentiated cultural complex originally stood in opposition to the existing one of the pre-Vedic root with which it was in constant conflict. In course of time, however, a synthesis took place, some of the pre-Vedic elements gradually working their way into the practices of the dominant society. A few of them were absorbed, while others were never legitimized by the sacred texts in spite of their prevalence. Needless to say that Buddhism and Jainism drew much from them.
The pastoral economy of the Vedic peoples, when supplemented by agriculture, created a condition of rapid class division. The simple productive magics of the earlier age, which characterised the primitive Vedic Yajñas and consisted of the performance like the collective eating rituals enumerated above, became class oriented. With the change in the technique of production, although the pre-class tribal societies degenerated, magical practices did not die, but their purpose began to change. In the first stage the change was quantitative. To the old magical practices inherited from their hunting stage were added many new rituals, mainly sexual in character, derived from the existing agricultural tribes. In the next stage the change was qualitative, as in class societies primitive magic transformed itself into the esoteric art of the ruling or privileged class. Now we have Grand Sacrifices, sponsored by the rich and ruling class and conducted by a formidable array of priests, divided into four groups. And with the growth of organised priesthood and mechanical sacerdotalism, the sacrifice of cattle became a senseless source of destruction of the cattle wealth. Cattle had to be killed on numerous occasions. The Aśvamedha sacrifice alone required as many as 600 bulls to be slaughtered.
The production of surplus prepared the ground for the rise of urban settlements. Trade was facilitated in which cattle served as the best means of exchange. The new condition did not encourage such senseless destruction of cattle wealth. In spite of a new religious set up, the old pre-pastoral rituals did not sink into oblivion, and the priestly class was not mentally ready to give up their traditional rituals. The Brahmanical religious practices did not suit the new condition. The Brahmanical attitude towards trade was not helpful. The real economic cause of the disintegration of tribal society, the rise of new social