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Origin of Śramanism: Causes and Conflict
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the Vedic (including the Brāhmanas) and Upanișadic thought - currents really point out to the existence of an indigenous stream of thought.”:24
Dutt aggress with this statement and adds, "the institution of Śramanism grew up among the imperfectly Aryanised communities of the East, spread, flourished and become highly popular and with the remarkable elasticity which is characteristic of Brāhmanism was later affiliated to the Aryan system of life becoming the fourth āśrama.”:25 It is significant that the above mentioned Aryan ritualism was not completely discarded, but it has only changed its outwardly shape in an inward shape like Prāņāgnihotra sacrifice to the fire of his own life, meditation as a sacred tuft of hair and likewise. In fact Jainism, Buddism and Hinduism are so inter-mingled and mutually influenced that to have a proper understanding of one, understand of other is essential. They can be distinguished individually but can not be separated from each-other.26
Thus with the above discussion and discrimination, it is obvious that none of the above reasons was solely responsible for the origin of Śramaņism, but all of them were responsible to give it a shape, strength and strong thoughts. These holy wanderers were anti- Brahmanical only for the priest-hood and their extremism in the rituals. At the same time they show similarities with Brahmacārins and Brahmavādins and with that of fourth äśrama, viz., samnyāsa. They resembled with the sophistic wonderers of Brāhmanism, because they also were homeless wanderers with a thirst for knowledge and zeal to study. They were least dependent on society as Samnyāsis. They were Magadhan, as they seem to have originated first at Magadh, adopted the local language, local people were their first disciples and from there they spread their thoughts to other parts of India. So, as is said by Deo, it appears, therefore, that Śramanism was the outcome of the blending of all these elements- indigenous and borrowed. These ancient, homeless community seems almost immortally ancient in India and exits till today.”
References : 1. Mehta, T.U. The Path of Arhat, A Religious Democracy.
Parshvanath Sodhpitha, Varanasi 1993, p. 3. 2. Webar, Max. The Religion of India, U.S.A. pp. 195, 196.
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