Jainism in Bihar

Author(s): P C Roy Choudhary
Publisher: P C Roy Choudhary Patna

Page 10

Godhead that came to save mankind. The Jain religion, however, can legitimately be traced to a different source; and in the minds of many, it is regarded as a more ancient faith than the one that is known as Hinduism. I am not competent enough to judge; but as Hindus and Jains have mixed up socially, and as both observe the same castes and divide themselves up in the selfsame gotras, and as apart from a few details, their domestic life is alike, there have always been inter-marriages among them; and thus Hindus and Jains have always been associated in the population as one people; the Jains with their twenty-four Thirthankars and sects of Swetambaras and Digambaras, and the Hindus with their ten avataras and endless creeds, have always had a common social life without any clashes or conflicts; and so it has never occurred to themselves and any one else to regard them as separate religious entities. In a country where even small groups tend to live in watertight compartments, the way Hindus and Jains have lived together, is a most pleasing and helpful feature of the variegated texture of our national life.
The Jains are known for their intense attachment to the doctrine of ahimsa (harmlessness) which they follow as conscientiously as possible in their daily lives. Jains are seen in two main categories; one, as businessmen who prosper in their trade; and Sadhus who deny themselves almost every physical comfort and live hard lives of