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श्रीमद् विजयराजेन्द्रसूरि-स्मारक-प्रेथ जैनधर्म की प्राचीनता भी पहिचाना है'। अतः पुरातत्त्व से भी जैनधर्म का अस्तित्व में महावीर से बहुत पहले प्राङ् ऐतिहासिक काल में प्रमाणित होता है।
हालमें ही डॉ० हेनरिक जिम्मरने इस तथ्यको पहिचान कर अपनी मूल्यमई रचना 'फिलॉसफीज ऑव इंडिया' में जैनधर्म को वैदिक धर्म से निराला और प्राङ्-आर्य (Pre-Ary. an) काल का स्पष्ट लिखा है। उन्हीं के अनुरूप भारतीय विद्वान् भी इस बात को तथ्यपूर्ण मानते हैं।
निस्सन्देह जैनधर्म का अस्तित्व प्राङ्-ऐतिहासिक काल का है । अतः भारत की पाट्य. पुस्तकों में जो इसके विपरीत उल्लेख हैं, वे नितान्त भ्रामक हैं और उनका जल्दी सुधार हो जाना चाहिये।
1. The Historicity of the-Tirthankaras, pp. 12-24
2 " Jainism does not derive from Brahmana-Aryan sources, but reflects the cosmology and anthropology of a much older, pre-Aryan upper class of north-eastern India...... Páráva, the 23rd Tirthankara is the first of the long series whom we can fairly visualize in a historical setting."
- Dr. Heinrich Zimmer,
“The Philosophies of India," pp. 3 "Jainism has, however, a history much older than Mahavira at least two and half centuries older. Its beginning may perhaps be traced...... to PRE-Aryan Indian Thonght." .
- Dr. A. C. Sen, The Indo-Asian Culture, I, 1, 78' "The deep strain of pessimism that characterising Upanisadic thuught in common with Buddhism, Jainism and the Samkhya, can hardly be said to be a direct product of Vedic Brahmanism...... It would perhaps be historically more correct, therefore, to regard Upanisadic as diuch as Jaina and Buddhist thoughts as having their roots in nonvedic than in vedic ideas."
- Dr. B. B Bhattacharya, The Indo-Asian Culture, I, 1. *The Jain ideas and practices must have been current at the time of Mābåvira and independently of him. This combined with other arguments leads us to the opinion that the Nirgrantbås (Jainas ) were really in existence long before Mahavira, who was the reformier of the already existing sect."
- Prof. James, Indiart Antiquary, Vol: Ix, p. 162,
