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Stray Thoughts on Jainism
Birjadish Prasad, M A., D.Phil
Jainism is an esteemed sect of Hinduism But it is so mixed up with the majn current of Hindu culture today that it is difficult to know a Jain from a Hindu Nor has he the least desire to be so known because, ever since the inception of his faith, he has been of Hinduism Hindu, of India Indian His birth, marriage and death-the three chief events in a man's life-are marked by the same ceremonies as those of a Hindu. Yet Jainism, like Buddhism, began as a protest against the Vcdic religion, against, at any rate, the corrupt practices that had crept into it Wule Buddhism, however, had to leave India, Jainism not only stayed on, but is a living faith even today There must have been something deeply Indian in it that has made for its continued hold on the country While it peryades every nook and corner of the country, in certain parts it exerts a very powerful influence in Gujrat, for instance, where Mahatma Gandhi, though a Vaish, came under its sway, or the north western region of the Uttar Pradesh, where nearly each village boasts of a Jain temple
What can be the reason of this influence? While Buddhism, it seems, chosc to carry on its missionary work outside India, Jainism concentrated its activities within India itself As Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavir were contemporaries, thc former may even have thought India safe in the latter's hands and looked after the rest of the world himself. For the basic tenets of both the faiths are the same-truth, 1.onviolence, and renunciation and both function through the agency of celibatc monks and missionaries But a faith alone is act enough to win the hearts of men Not
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