Jainism in North India

Author(s): Chimanlal J Shah
Publisher: Longmans Green and Compny London

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JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA
corroborated by gradual changes in the history of Indian thought and Indian outlook on life. "Tendencies to question the authority of the Vedas," says Kunte, "were shown long before Buddha Gautama succeeded in organising opposition to the Vedic polity, social and religious "1 The same is the opinion of other scholars also " 'Buddhism and Jainism," says Jacobi, "must be regarded as religious developments out of Brahmanism, not by sudden reformation, but prepared by a religious movement going on for a long time "2 There is nothing unreasonable if we say that the echo of what was to come on some future date was already audible in the Upanishads, which had anticipated the new system in all its directions. "The pioneers of this new system," says Dr Dasgupta, "probably drew their suggestions from the sacrificial creed and from the Upanishads, and built their systems independently by their own rational thinking." Mr Dutt traces this change in the mind of the people as far back as the eleventh century B.C-that is, five centuries before the time of which we are now speaking According to him, "earnest and thoughtful Hindus had ventured to go beyond the wearisome rituals of the Brahmana literature, and had Inquired into the mysteries of the soul and its creator." 4
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This was the state of things in the Hindu fold, and hence, naturally, the Jaina fold also could not escape its evil effects. We have already seen that Mahavira had to make certain distinctions in the four great vows put forward by his predecessor, and this initiative on his part ultimately resulted in the five great vows propounded by him. The state of society was such that people would try to take advantage, if any loopholes were available, for a free and easy life, which brings into broad relief Mahāvīra's making clear in all its aspects the Dharma of Parsva G
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It was amidst thus changing flux of thought that Mahavira moved, and wove out for himself the solution of the riddle of the cosmos, which placed man's fate, for weal or woe, here and hereafter, in man's own hands, and taught him to look not beyond
Kunte, op af, pp 407, 408 Dasgupta, op cit,1, p 210
Jacobi, SBE, xx, Int, p 32
Dutt, op cat, p 340
in the 250 years that elapsed between his death and the coming of Mahavira
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abus berme so rife
-Stevenson (Mrs), op cat, p 40
See Kalpa Sutra, Subodhaka Tika, p 3, Jacobi, SBE, v, pp 122, 123
IS