Jaina Religion Historical Journey of Evolution

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Jaina Religion: Its Historical Journey of Evolution 25
aspects predominant in them. For example, it can be said that Jaina religion is nivetti-dominated even today, and Hindu religion is pravịtti-dominated; still, it would be proper to accept that both of them are the outcome of the combination of pravrtti and nivștii. Even according to Jainism Rşabhadeva before he renounced the world, expounded pravsttimārga or duty towards family, society or state. It has already been clarified earlier that this mutual exchange is first attempted in fśāvāsyopanişad. Thus, today when Upanişads need to be understood from the perspective of the Sramaņa tradition, Jaina and Buddhist traditions need to be studied from the Upanişadic perspective. Just as desire and conscience (preya and śreya) though different, are essential aspects of human personality, Sramanic and Vedic streams are both essential parts of Indian culture. In fact, none of these cultures are based on any one single foundation. Jaina and Buddhist traditions are as much inseparable from Indian culture as Hindu tradition is. If Upanişadic stream though different from Vedic stream is considered inseparable from Vedic or Hindu tradition then why are Jaina and Buddhist traditions not considered inseparable parts of it? If Sãmkhya and Mimārsakas in spite of being atheistic are accepted as parts of Hindu religion and philosophy then why are Jaina and Buddhists considered