Jain Dharm Sarva Prachin Dharm Parampara

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Jain Dharm Sarva Prachin Dharm Parampara" by Jyotiprasad Jain:

The text argues that Jainism is the most ancient religious tradition. It begins by defining "dharma" (religion/duty) as the inherent nature of a thing, which is eternal and without beginning or end. Jain philosophy accepts this definition, with "vyavahar dharma" (practical dharma) referring to the means to achieve this inherent nature.

The author contrasts this with the common human tendency to create diverse religious beliefs, leading to numerous traditions. These traditions often diverge and conflict due to circumstances and vested interests, resulting in strife and violence. The text acknowledges that such comparisons between religions regarding their completeness, superiority, antiquity, and potential are inevitable.

However, it asserts that a religion's superiority is not determined by its age. While new things can be excellent and old things worthless, a religion that has remained alive, active, and progressive from its inception to the present, has acted as a catalyst for societal upliftment, moral progress, and cultural growth, and still possesses potential, its antiquity signifies its intrinsic value and the presence of eternal, universal principles. Furthermore, understanding a culture's development and contributions necessitates investigating the antiquity of its foundational religious tradition.

The author then addresses the question of why Jainism's antiquity needed to be proven. The Jain tradition itself has always considered itself the most ancient, and no significant figures within other ancient Indian traditions, including Buddhism, had previously questioned this. The need for proof arose in the modern era with the advent of European Orientalists.

These scholars, influenced by their Semitic (Christian) monotheistic beliefs and modern scientific and evolutionary thought, approached the study of Indian religions with the assumption that every tradition has a founder, birthplace, and specific time of origin. They were unaware that many aspects of the world, including religious traditions, can be eternal and without beginning or end. Their methodology was to trace the history of a tradition backward from the present to its point of origin. This method, while effective for historically founded religions like Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism (which have clear founders, birthplaces, and dates), proved problematic for traditions that are "parampara-mulak" (tradition-based) rather than historical.

Jainism, like the Vedic (Hindu) tradition (which is also considered "sanatan" or eternal), is presented as a "parampara-mulak" tradition nurtured by the nirgranth (unfettered) Jain Tirthankaras. The author explains that while humans naturally engage in "pravritti" (active engagement with the world) driven by desires, when this becomes excessive, harmful, or disruptive, the path of "nivritti" (renunciation and self-restraint) is preached to limit and regulate it. This marks the beginning of "paramarthik dharma" (transcendental religion). Therefore, as long as humanity and civilization have existed, there has been both the action-oriented path of "pravritti" to fulfill material needs and the self-nature-oriented path of "nivritti" for refinement, with Jainism representing the latter, based on non-violence and ethical conduct.

The early Western Orientalists failed to grasp this distinction and, upon encountering Jainism, treated it as a historical religion, attempting to find its origins. They often viewed Jainism through the lens of Hinduism, particularly Buddhism, and sought to fix its origin point based on the evidence available. They were not ready to accept assertions made by Indian scholars without rigorous examination and experimentation, leading to debates even on widely accepted facts like the commencement of eras (Shaka, Vikram), the nirvana dates of Mahavira and Buddha, and the historicity of events and figures in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. This also led to disputes about the affiliation of ancient rulers and historical facts with Hinduism, Jainism, or Buddhism. Consequently, the independent existence, relative antiquity, and history of Jainism itself became subjects of debate.

The author acknowledges that the "scientific method" of the Orientalists, which emphasizes examination and proof, is also followed by modern Indian scholars. Jainism itself is a religion that prides itself on its rigorous examination process. Through this method, over the past 150 years, Jainism has risen from being considered a minor sect originating from Buddhism in the 7th century CE to being recognized as an independent and significant Indian religious tradition, as ancient as the Vedic religion and integrated with a rich culture.

The text then presents evidence for Jainism's antiquity:

• Comparative studies by scholars like Hermann Jacobi have proven that Lord Mahavira (566-527 BCE) was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha. Mahavira was a renewer, not the founder, of Jainism, which existed long before him. Buddhism was also influenced by Jainism.
• Buddhist literature contains many references to the independent existence and relative antiquity of Jainism, indicating the existence of previous Tirthankaras.
• The historicity of the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanatha (877-777 BCE), is accepted by modern scholars. Many of his disciples were still alive during Mahavira's time.
• The historicity of figures in the Mahabharata, including Krishna, is now largely accepted. Scholars argue that if Krishna is considered historical, then his cousin and the 22nd Jain Tirthankara, Neminatha (Arishtanemi), should also be accepted as historical. Archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions from Central Asia during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, supports Neminatha's historicity.
• The 21st Tirthankara, Naminatha, is linked to Vedeha Janaka in Brahmanical tradition, and is considered the originator of the Upanishadic knowledge of the soul.
• Lord Rama holds a revered place in Jain tradition, and Jain Ramayanas are considered more logical and reliable than Brahmanical Puranas. The 20th Tirthankara, Munisuvratanatha, was active during Rama's era.
• Brahmanical Puranas, including the Bhagavata Purana, mention Lord Rishabhadeva (the first Tirthankara) as an avatar of Vishnu, indicating a connection to Jainism.
• Ancient Vedic texts, such as the Rigveda and Yajurveda, contain numerous references to Rishabha and other Tirthankaras, as well as Jain monks (nirgranthas, yatis, tapasvis). This evidence suggests Jainism predates the Vedas.
• Archaeological findings from the Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa and Mohenjo-daro), dating back to pre-Vedic and pre-Aryan times, include a statue fragment of a Digambara Jin in the kayotsarga posture and seals depicting the worship of Rishabha in the kayotsarga posture with a bull emblem.

The author concludes that these indications push the existence of the Jain tradition back to the pre-Vedic, pre-Aryan, and even prehistoric eras, establishing it as the most ancient living tradition of civilized humanity.