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naries outside India. Never rising to an overpowering height but at the same time never sharing the fate of its rival, Buddhism, that of complete extinction in its native land, it has led a quiet existence through the centuries and has kept its place amongst the religious systems of India till the present day". (Charpentier 1935 : 169-70)
Jainas in History and Society
Tainas are strictly an Indian phenomenon. They are not found elsewhere. Some Jainas might well have migrated to and settled down for a while with neighbouring countries of Nepal and Sri Lanka, but they have not accounted for more than temporary residents in historical terms. Therefore, when we speak of their role in history and society, we mean, their role in Indian history and society. The Jainas claim to be the oldest living religious community in India. While contemporary historians would basically agree with this view, they also would assign a similar antiquity to the Hindus. It is now generally accepted that Jainism is at least two centuries older than Buddhism and some of its elements might well be traced to the Indus Valley civilization of the third millenium B.C. (cf. Williams 1966: 2-6; Zimmer 1956 : 181-204) Jaina doctrines, mythologies and practices reveal that, having lived a long and continuous existence within the vastly dominant Hindu population, they have been immensely influenced by the latter. Yet they have managed to retain identity and continuity of a separate community. Moreover, the Jainas felt a particular sense of competition and rivalry with the Ajivikas and Buddhists. The rigorous commitment of the Jainas to the ascetic ideal, persistent adherence to the principle of noninjury (ahimsā) and closeknit community organization served them in good stead and they not only outlived, but also outdid their rivals.
I believe that it is primarily because of these three characteristics that Jainas have held their own and occupied an important position in Indian society, despite a minuteness of numbers. They seem to have wielded a greater political, cultural, economic, artistic and moral influence in India than expected. In fact, Jaina contributions in these areas are not only much larger in terms of time (or duration, but also greater in proportion to those of the larger minorities of Sikhs and Christians. Their overall impact on Indian society and history is also much greater than those of the Parsis and the Jews and in this they vie for comparison with much larger Muslim minority and more widely discussed one of the Buddhist.
JAINTHOLOGY, 225
