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PREFACE
Jainism is an oldest living Indian religion, practiced by people of Śramaņa tradition of India, long before the advent of Aryan in India. Indian culture consists of two chief currentsSramanic and Brāhmanic. Jainism, Buddhism and other few belong to śramanic current whereas Vedic or Hindu tradition comes under Brāhmanic. Vedic schools were classified in Āstika group while Śramanic schools- Jains and Buddhist, in Nāstika group.
In Indian philosophy, Pūrva and Uttara Mīmāṁsā, Sāṁkhya, Yoga, Nyāya and Vaiseșika schools are regarded as 'orthodox' and Jainism, Buddhism and Cārvākas as 'heterodox”. This classification has nothing to do with a belief in God, but it is based on acceptance of authority of Vedas. Among the 'āstika' the schools like- Sāmkhya, Pūrva Mīmāṁsā strongly refute the theory of God. Pātañjala Yogasūtra has accepted God in its metaphysics as a Purușa-višeșa, which is not creator of the universe. Nyāya, a formal school of logic, attempted to prove existence of God, which has not universally accepted.
In colloquial language Āstika is a believer in God and Nāstika, a negative term or not believe in God. Western philosophers while studying Jainism labeled it as an atheist philosophy or religion without God, which is not accepted to Jainas. According to Jainas, their religion is with God in it, and is a theistic philosophy. Most European scholars were not aware of Jaina religion and mistaken it as an offshoot of Buddhism which is not true. Also at the same time Jaina religious custodians did not allow others to study their holy books. So due to ignorance and not deep but superficial research in Jainism, scholars have been quoting Jainism without a God. Similarly they have been misquoting about its founder, Lord Mahāvīra.
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