Service of Jainism to India

Author(s): J S Shah, U H Jain
Publisher: J S Shah, U H Jain

Page 14

THE JAINA PATH OF PURIFICATION
By PADMANABH S, JAINI
Mahavira and the Foundations of Jainism
Who are the Jainas?
NEN
The designation Jaina, applied to the
approximatoly four million members of one of
India's most ancient sramana or non-Vedic religious
traditions, 11terally means "follower of a Jina".
The Jinas aro "spiritual victors," human teachers
said to have attained kevalagnana (Infinite know it,
and to have preached the doctrine of moksa ( salvat 151
Such figures are also called Tirthankaras (Bulldort 8
the ford (which leads accross the ocean of suffering /
It is believed that twenty-four of the appear in
each half of a time cycle, have done so from
beginningless time, and will continue to do so
forever.
Hence a Jina or Tirthankara is not the
founder of a religion; he is rather the propagator