Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

Page 95

BRĀHMANIC AND ŚRAMANIK CULTURES
-A COMPARATIVE STUDY
W e cannot understand Indian culture completely without
W understanding its different constituents, i.e. Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. So, one thing must be clear in our mind that studies and researches in the field of Indology are not possible in isolation. In fact, Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism are so intermingled and mutually influenced that to have a proper understanding of one, the understanding of the others is essential.
However, two distinct trends have been prevalent in Indian culture from its earliest days, known as Brāhmanic and Áramanik. No doubt, these two trends are distinguishable but at the same time we must be aware of the fact that they are not separable. Though on the basis of some peculiarities in theory, we can distinguish them, yet in practice, it is very difficult to bifurcate them because neither of the two remained uninfluenced by the other. The earlier Śramanik trends and its later phases, Jainism and Buddhism, were influenced by the Vedic tradition but at the same time they also influenced it. The concepts of tapas or austerity, ascetism, liberation, meditation, equanimity, and non-violence, which were earlier absent in the Vedas, came into existence in Hinduism through Sramanik influence. The Upanishads and the Gitā evolved some new spiritual definitions of Vedic rituals. Both are the representatives of the dialogue which had taken place in the S naạik and Vedic traditions.
T Upanisadic trend of Hinduism is not a pure form of Vedic religion. It incorporated in itself various Śramanik tenets which gave a new dimension to Vedic religion. Thus we can say that our Hinduism is an intermingling of Vedic and śramanik traditions.The voice which was raised by our