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Aspects of Jainology : Volume VI
their Yajña rituals because no Yaña-vedi is found in read in Buddhist canons, the name of some Jaina these excavations. At that time present Jainism was Tirtharkaras such as Rşabha, Padma, Candraprabha, known as a Vrătya-dharma or Arhat-dharma. Puşpadanta, Vimala, Dharma, Nami, Ariștanemi and
Later on, in the Upanişadic period (c. 800 B. Mahāvira also occur in Buddhist literature in the form C.) the Vrătyas, Arhatas and Sramaņas were divided of previous Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Pratyekainto various religious schools. At that time (c.800 B. buddhas. Theragātha also mentions the Vaddhamāņa C. to 500 A. D. ). Jainism was known as Nirgratha- Thera. According to its earlier commentary, Attadharma. In Buddhist Pali Tripitaka and the ancient kathā, he was Licchaviputra. In my humble opinion, Jaina canons as well as in the pillar-edicts of Asoka he was not else than Vardhamāna Mahāvira, the 24th the religion of Lord Parśva and the Mahāvira is Jaina Tirtharikara. Thus, it can be said with a degree mentioned in the name of Nirgrantha Dharma. of certainty that all the Jaina Tirtharikaras are not Historicity of Lord Pārsva, the 23rd Tirthařkara, is legendary characters. Though, it may be true that now well established and accepted by all the scholars. some legendary characteristics might have crept into According to Jaina tradition the predecessor of Lord the life-stories of Jaina Tirthankaras presented in Pārsva is Aristanemi. He is supposed to be the real Jaina Purāņas, their very existence can not be challencousin of Lord Krsna. Thus, the historicity of ged. Whether we accept the historicity of Jaina Aristanemi can also be established on the basis of the 'Tirthankara or not, it is beyond doubt that the Jaina historicity of Lord Krsna. If we hold Lord Krsna to be ideas of renunciation, austerity, penance, self-mortia historic person, then Aristanemi is also historical. fication, non-violence, celebacy, meditation etc. were We find his name not only in Vedas but in prevalent in the pre Vedic period. Sri Ramchandra Upanişadas and Hindu Purāṇas also. Some scholars observes that, "Upanişads represent the Brahmanical furnish an inscriptional evidence to prove the spiritual thought: As seen later, the Brāhmaṇas did historicity of Aristanemi ( Neminātha ). There is not accept spiritualism truthfully. They borrowed found a Copper deed of gift of a Babilonian King spiritual thoughts from their Pre-Aryan adversaries, Nebuchandrazar ( 1140 B. C. ) at Prabhaspattan in now friends, in a perverted manner.... The Šramanic Gujrat. It, as per reading of Dr. Prananath (T.O.I., dt. culture was ascetic, atheistic, pluralistic and March 19, 1935), indicates that the King must have 'realistic' in content.* This comes out clearest from a come to Mount Revata to pay homage to Lord consideration of the earliest faith of the Jainas — one Neminātha. Though the reading is not accepted by all of the oldest living surviving sects of the Munis. The the scholars yet we cannot reject it as totally false. pre-Upanişadic materialistic ( Pravrtti-Dharmic ) Vedic Lord Nami of Mithila, the 21st Tirthankara of Jainas, thought later evolved pseudo-spiritual thought (Nivịttiis also accepted as a Rși in Upanişadic and Hindu Dharmic ) mainly through the influences of the MuniPaurāņic tradition. So far as the historicity of Lord śramaņa culture, in pre-Buddhistic times, within its Rşabha is concerned, it is a well established fact that fold ( Ramchandra Jain — The Most Ancient Aryan not only his name but his life-story and teachings also Society, pp. 48-49 ). It is this semi-materialistic and occur in Bhagavat and some other Purāņas. semi-spiritualistic thought which gave birth to a new According to Prof. Dalasukh Malvania, who is well- form of religion, which is known as Hinduism.
Yajña-Vedi has been identified in some Indus * Cf.: The editor's "Studies in the Origin of Buddhism." Valley sites such as Kalibangam. (Editor)
(Editor)
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