Jaina Religion Historical Journey of Evolution

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Jaina Religion: Its Historical journey of evolution
life saw that supra-mundane and natural powers can make his attempts for material comforts, success or failure, he cultivated a belief that material comforts and conveniences are not due to his own efforts but are because of the grace of these natural powers. Thus on the one hand he started eulogizing them, and singing invocations for them, and on the other hand he started pleasing them by yajñas and sacrifices. And thus pravartakadharma grew and developed into two main branches: (i) faith dominated bhakti-mārga (ii) and sacrifice dominated karma-märga.
On the other hand Śramaṇa culture in its enthusiasm of living a life of purity, free from sins and independence made mokṣa or complete freedom from material prosperity or possessions its main goal of life, and for this reason it gave importance to knowledge and detachment. But the life of knowledge (jñāna) and detachment was not possible in social and familial preoccupations. Thus, Śramana culture took man to distant forests, mountains and caves. And thus it emphasized the negation of desires and body-related values and worldliness, which led the origination of the path of tapas rooted in detachment, while on the other side, in this kind of life rooted in renunciation, the doors for discussions and reflections, with a serious desire to know, opened. This in fact, led to