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guage, Jainism, and Hinduism are found to be teaching the same thing, though one uses plain language, and the other is concealed in disguise, and mystifying thought.
When did any of them really originate, we do not know; we leave out of consideration the evidence to the contrary furni. shed by the Jalna Books. The only material form which a deduction for the greater anciency in favour of any one of them, can be drawn, thus, is the fact that they teach the same thing, and that the language of the Veda is allegorical, while that of Jainism is plain,
But I think that this fact is quite sufficient to determine the comparative ages of the two Faiths. For, it is quite clear that allegory must have bad a basis of prior fact to fix itself upon. If the Teaching was not known before, how could it be allegorized ? In other words, whoseover allegorized the doctrines of the Science of Salvation, must have known them, so that alle. gory is easily posterior to science or fact.
Shall we, now, try to seek a scientific basis for the alle. gories of the Rig Veda outside of Jainism ? But such an attempt is fore-doomed to fail, for we have not the faintest trace of any such religion if Jainism is to be rejected. The best thing is to recognize that such a rejection will be simply the outcome of prejudice, and not an act promp!ed by good reason. There has been no other scientific, and scientifically expressed religion in the world, and certainly there was none beyond 7009 years ago in the past.
It is not necessary for the purposes of this article to in. sist upon the absolute accuracy of the Teaching of Religion thou. gh I am fully convinced of it. The historian has not studied the subject, and cannot be readily expected to accept any ipsie dixit on the point It is sufficient for my present purpose if it is un derstood that the teachings of Rig Veda when properly inter preted and understood, reveal the same ground-work of scientificaily expressed thought as is found in Jainism. If it is once accepted, it would follow that both these religions namely Jainism,
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