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worldly existence, i.e., the cycle of birth and death. Austerities, renunciation, emancipation, atheism, supremacy of human being over gods, equality of all beings, opposition of supremacy of Brahmins and opposition of animal sacrifices and emphasis on moral values were some of the fundamental tendencies of Sramanic tradition. We also find that some of the above mentioned tendencies such as renunciation and emancipation were totally absent from the earlier form of Vedic religion. These concepts were contributed by the Sramanas to Indian culture in general and to Hinduism in particular.
RELEVANCE OF JAINA SADHANA
We are living in the age of science and technology. The growth of scientific knowledge and technology have given new dimensions to our life and influenced each and every field of our way of living. Science has done a great service to mankind by providing amenities of pleasant living and saved him from many miseries and uncertainties of the primitive past. It has also destroyed superstitions and religious dogmas, but at the same time it has also uprooted the moral, religious and cultural values of our society. Our traditional religious values and beliefs have been thrown away by this growth of scientific knowledge and outlook. We know much about the atom but not about the values needed for a meaningful and peaceful life. We are living in the state of chaos. Our life is full of excitements, emotional disorders and value conflicts. Thus our age is also the age of anxiety and mental tensions.
Today what's needed for a man, is mental peace and a complete integration with his own personality as well as with his social environment. Can religion, in general and Jainism in particular meet this need of our times? Yes, it can. Religion for Jaina thinkers, does not mean some superstitions, dogmas and rituals, it has some
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Jainism and its History
