Jaina Religion Historical Journey of Evolution

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Jaina Religion: Its Historical Journey of Evolution 3
endeavor and establishment of moral values in the names of śīlas and Vratas has given its special contribution to the history of basket of Indian religions. The ancient Šramaņa tradition includes not only the Jaina and the Buddhist streams but also the Upanişadic and the Sāmkhya-Yoga streams, which have become a part of broad Hindu religion. Besides these, there were some other streams that are lost today in antiquity such as Ajivakas. Today, among the living religions of Śramaņa tradition the Buddhist and the Jaina traditions have kept their identity. Though Buddhism originated, grew and developed in India it spread and got a foothold in the Far East countries, and remained lost in India for about one thousand years. But it is heartening to note that it is re-establishing itself in India. As far as the Jaina stream of Arhat or Śramana tradition is concerned, it has kept its identity in the Indian soil from very ancient times till today. In the following pages we will venture into an historical discussion on this.
In the early period of Indian history, we find signs of the existence of Śramaņa culture; in the archeological remains from Harappa and Mohenjodaro and the ancient and oldest literary document- the Rgveda. On the one hand, we find a number of seals of the yogis in meditative postures