Jainism its Distinctive Features and Their Impact on our Composite Culture

Author(s): Kr De Karnataki
Publisher: Z_Vijay_Vallabh_suri_Smarak_Granth_012060.pdf

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JAINISM : ITS DISTINCTIVE FEATURES AND THEIR IMPACT ON OUR COMPOSITE CULTURE
PROF. KR. DE. KARNATAKI, M.A.
The researches of many devoted savants, both Western and Eastern, have established beyond any doubt that Jainism is a very, very old tradition. It is now generally recognised that Mahāvīra is not the original founder, but only a great reformer who induced fresh blood into the already existing body of Jainism by his work of organising and renovating the Jaina institutions. Prior to him, there was the great Pārsva; even he was not the founder of Jainism. Rşabha of the hoary past, belonging most probably to the pre-Vedic age, was the first promulgator and founder of the Jaina tradition. He is unanimously held by both the Jaina and the Brāhmaṇa traditions to have existed in very early times. Thus the roots of Jainism go very deep into our history and Jainism undoubtedly is an indigenous system which was prevalent in our country --at least in entire north India-even before the advent of the Vedic Aryans to the Panjab or Brahmavarta.
It is one of the most fascinating and inspiring tasks for a thinker to follow the majestic course of Vedic Aryanism coming into contact with the indigenous currents flowing in our country even before its rise here and mingling with them, being influenced by them and emerging, after ages of dynamic assimilation, as the wonderful composite culture, Bhāratiya samskști, which is even now a very much live and day-to-day practised tradition amidst one-fifth of mankind inhabiting our country. If we take up the two most predominant currents in this stream of Bhāratiya samskrti, the Brahmanical and the Jaina, they seem to be distinguishable even now (as Jainism has a very considerable following in our country) as Gangā and Yamunā mingling their different-hued waters into one composite river. We shall try to sketch, necessarily in outline, how Jainism has influenced the Vedic-Brahmanic tradition and, thereby, contributed to our composite Bharatiya culture. Before we embark on this, we shall very briefly note the most salient features of Jainism.
Jainism is generally clubbed along with Buddhism under śramanasampradaya. This does not bring out its essential nature in entirety. From times immemorial, it is exclusively termed nirgrantha sampradaya. This appellation brings out the fundamentals of Jainism, Of all traditions,