Jainism in Buddhist Literature

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Alok Prakashan

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The soul or Brahman pervaded all objects of the universe. The universe has come out of Brahman.
Thus "we find the simple faith and devotion of the Vedic hymns, on the one hand, being supplanted by the growth of à complex system of sacrificial rites, and on the other, bending their course towards a monotheistic or philosophic knowledge of the ultimate reality of the universe."
The social outlook and the goal of life of the Vedic system were based on the caste system. The so-called Sudras, the lower community, were considered ineligible to perform spiritual rites."
Śramana System
There prevailed, at that time, another stream of cultural current which was quite independent of the Brahmaņical or Vedic current and, probably older than it.
The word Śramana is derived from "Šram" to exert effort, labour, or to perform austerity, but is mixed in meaning with Sam a wanderer, recluse. One who performs acts of mortification or austerity is called Śramana ( Śramayati tapasyatiti Śramanah).
The Śramana cultural system was based on equality. According to it, a being is himself responsible for his own deeds. Salvation, therefore, can be obtained by anybody. The cycle of rebirth to which every individual was subjected was viewed as the cause and substratum of misery. The goal of every person was to evolve a way to escape from the cycle of rebirth. Each school of Sramaņas preached its own way of salvation. But they all agreed in one respect, namely, in discounting ritual as a means of emancipation and establishing a path of moral, mental and spiritual development as the only means of escaping from the misery of saṁsāra.
Thus the Vedic cultural system differs from Śramana cultural system in three respects; viz. (a) attitude to society, (b) goal of life, and (c) outlook towards living creatures. Consequently, both these cults were so opposed to each other that Panini and Patanjali referred to them as having Saivatvirodha and Govyaghravat-virodha.