Study in the Origins and Development of Jainism

Author(s): S N Shrivastava
Publisher: Rekha Publication Gorakhpur

Page 85

Early History of Jainism
Inspite of sincere and meticulous effort by a host of historians, it has not been possible to bring out convincing details of the early history of Jainism. Though, the Jain tradition records its hoary antiquity, the literature pertaining to it dates not much earlier than a few centuries before the Christian era. As such, it is very difficuit to cull out the historical facts from the legendary tales preserved in the tradition. However, some glimpses of the early history of Jainism can be gleaned from the Jain literature itself.
The Jains do not believe in the existence of a primordial cause and take the world as existing without beginning or end. It is eternal. Time is likened by them with wheel having twelve spokes. The wheel of time is turning round and round infinitely. In turning half, the wheel is ascending while in the rest half, it is descending. The ascending and descending orders have been termed as utsarpiņi and avasarpiņi respectively. They are further divided into sub-periods. The Jain believe that their religion is eternal as it has been revealed again and again in every one of the succeeding eras or periods by Tirthańkars. The present period belongs to avasarpiņi whose eras are - (i) Suşamă Suşumā, (ii) Suşamă, (iii) Suşamã, Duşamă, (iv) Duşamă Suşamā (v) Duşamā (vi) Duşamā Duşamă.