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Jainism Before Mahâvîra
161 pre-Vedic and pre-Aryan origins continued even during the Vedic period as denoted by some terms-Vatarasana, Muni, Yati, Sramana, Kesi, Vratya, Arhanand Sisnadeva. The Kesi Sukta of the Rgveda delineats the strange figure of the ‘Muni' who is described as long-haired, clad in dirty, tawny-coloured garments, walking in the air, drinking poison, delirious with ‘Mauneya' and inspired. There can hardly be a doubt that the 'Muni' was to the Rigvedic Culture an alien figure. The Taithriya-Aranyakaló speaks of Sramanas who were called 'Vatarasanah'. They led a celibate life, could disappear, at will and teach to Brahmanas the way beyond sin.
The word 'Sramana' views in the Upanisad. 17 although the Mundakopanisad has various references to the shaven headed ascetics who revile the Vedas. All the passages of the Vedic literature18 taken together suggest that the Yatis were the people who had incurred the hostility of Indra, the patron of the Aryas, and their bodies were therefore thrown to the wolves.
The Panchavimsa Brahmanalo describes some peculiarties of the Vratyas. They did not study the Vedas. They did not observe the regulating the Brahmanical order of life. They called an expression difficult to pronounce when it was not difficult to pronounce and spoke the tongue of the consecrated through unconsecrated. This proves that they had some Prakritic form of speech. The prakrit Language is specially the language of the canonical works of the Jainas. K.P. Jayaswal20 that they had traditions of the Jainas among them.
In the Rgveda, 21 Arhan' has been used for a Sramana leader. The very verse states, “Ci: Arhan, you fed compassion for this useless world.” The mention of Sisnadevas (naked gods) in the Rgveda22 is also noteworthy.
As a matter of fact, there is no definite evidence for the existence of Jainism in pre-Vedic times. The images found in Kayotsara (standing) pose found from Mohenjo-daro cannot be ascribed to Jainism unless there is some evidence for it. Even from the various terms mentioned in the Rgveda, no definite conclusion can be drawn regarding the existence of Jainism.
There was no existence of Jainism in so early period, but the primitive currents of religious and philosophical speculation of the pre-Vedic period considerably influenced this religion along
