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CHAPTER - II
HISTORY OF JAINISM PRIOR TO MAHĀVĪRA
II. (i) Introduction
Jainism, a representative of Śramaņa tradition of Indian culture is the oldest, well established, fully developed and purely indigenous religion. Also it is a non-Vedic, non-Aryan and preAryan religion. Following are some conclusions from a few notable orient lists:
According to Sir Sanmukham Chetty, “Jainism was the religion of Dravidian people who were the pre-Aryan inhabitants of India. I tempted to believe that Jainism was probably the earliest religion prevalent in India and that it was the flourishing religion when the Aryan migration came in India and when the religion of Vedas was being evolved in the Punjab.”!
Maj. Gen. J.G.R. Furlong, F.R.A.S opined, “Instead of Jainism being formerly supposed an offshoot of Buddhism, it is shown to extend as far back as 3000 B.C. It is found flourishing alongside the nature worship of the rude tribes in Northern India."2
S.N. Gokhale opined: “Ahiṁsā is the keynote of Jainism, a philosophy which comes from pre-Aryan days.”
Dr. Herman Jacobi is also of the opinion that Jainism was related to the primitive philosophy of India, a very original independent systematic doctrine with realistic and rationalistic tone. The Vedic religion which gradually developed into Brāhmanism,
'Dr. Jyoti Prasad Jain, “Religion & culture of Jains", Delhi, 1975 (1999),P - 2 Ibid., P-2 Ibid., P - 2
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