Famous Personalities Saying About Jainism

anubhav_jain · August 24, 2020, 5:20am

anubhav_jain · August 30, 2020, 3:59pm

The Harappan civilisation thrived in the Indus Valley 4,500 years ago, roughly around the time the pyramids were being built in Egypt. It is famous for its grid-like cities. Here, we find a seal of a man sitting in a yogic position, surrounded by wild animals. People have identified him as proto-Shiva and call it the Pashupati seal: Shiva’s form surrounded by wild animals. But, in the Vedas, Pashupati is linked to domestic animals, not wild animals. So, is this Shiva? Or someone else. Few point to the possibility that this could be a Jain image of a Jina, conqueror of all passions.

Jain mythology comes to us from manuscripts that are 1,500 years old. Yet, they speak of an ancient time 84,000 years ago. These are fantastic timelines and they suggest that Jain thought was very old, some claim older than Ramayana and Mahabharata. The great Jain teachers were called Jinas or Tirthankaras. Each one was associated with an animal symbol. What is interesting is that four of the five animals on the Pashupati seal can be linked to these teachers. The goat with Kunthunath, rhinoceros with Shreyasnath, the elephant with Ajithnath and water buffalo with Vasupujyanath. Some argue it’s not a goat, but a deer. In that case, it would be symbol of Shantinath not Kunthunath. The fifth animal tiger is an odd one out. Mahavira is linked to lion, not tiger.

The zebu or humped bull, found in other Harappan seals, is linked to Rishabhnath. Images of a swastika and the knot known as Srivatsa, found on seals, are all associated with Tirthankaras. The lion and horse are found in Vedic scriptures, and in Jain list of symbols for Tirthankars, but not in Harappan seals.

Not all Harappans would have been Jain, for we know that people ate fish and meat of cattle, pigs, fowls and wild animals. The cities would have had diverse faiths, but clearly some would have practised some form of proto-Jainism.

We know that the Harappan cities were cities of traders who manufactured beads. These beads were sold in Mesopotamia. We also know there was a trading colony of Harappans who lived in Mesopotamia. They exported beads and sesame, as well as chicken and dogs, they imported metal, woollen cloth and bitumen. Most Jain followers are traders as it keeps them away from the violence associated with agriculture, mining and herding occupations.

Jains are known for their sense of hygiene and purity, also found in Harappan cities with water tanks and a very sophisticated drainage system. Harappan seals are found in Mesopotamia, but no Mesopotamian seals are found in Harappa. Mesopotamia was famous for its cuneiform script, which had no impact on the Harappan writing. All this suggest that the Harappan civilisation preferred isolation, very similar to Jains, who isolate themselves with strict food habits.

All these go in favour of Harappa having Jain influence. There is no way to prove or disprove this. This is a great conversation over tea.

Devdutt Pattanaik

Sanyam_Shastri · September 15, 2020, 6:02pm

anubhav_jain · December 21, 2020, 8:01am

प्रो. जैकोबी कहते हैं, "निष्कर्ष में मैं अपने दृढ़ विश्वास से कहना चाहूँगा कि जैनधर्म अन्य सभी से एकदम भिन्न और स्वतंत्र, एक मौलिक व्यवस्था है और इसलिए यह प्राचीन भारत में दार्शनिक विचार और धार्मिक जीवन के अध्ययन के लिए बहुत महत्त्व का है।"

भारतीयदर्शन की व्यवस्था में जैनधर्म का स्थान विषय पर चर्चा करते हुए एम. एम. डॉ. गंगानाथ झा निष्कर्ष निकालते हैं, "जैनदर्शन नि:संदेह बौद्धधर्म, वेदांत, सांख्य, न्याय और वैशेषिक व्यवस्थाओं से कुछ सिद्धान्त साम्यता रखता है, लेकिन यह उसके स्वतंत्र उद्गम और मुक्त विकास को असिद्ध नहीं करता है । यदि उसमें अन्य भारतीय व्यवस्थाओं के साथ कुछ समानताएँ हैं, तो उसकी अपनी विशेषताएँ और चिह्नित अन्तर भी हैं।"

डॉ. गियरनॉट कहते हैं कि “जैनधर्म बहुत मौलिक, स्वतंत्र और व्यवस्थित सिद्धान्त है।"

डा. एस. सी. विद्याभूषण- “जैनधर्म स्वयं ही सृष्टि के प्रारम्भ तक पीछे पहुँचता है। मुझे जोर देकर कहने में कोई संदेह नहीं है कि वेदान्त और अन्य सिद्धान्तों से जैनदर्शन अधिक पूर्वकालिक है।"

डा. एन. एन. बासु- “संभवतः ऋषभदेव लेखन की कला को खोजने में प्रथम थे। प्रतीत होता है कि उन्होंने ब्रह्मविद्या के प्रचार - प्रसार के लिए ब्राह्मी लिपि का आविष्कार किया और यही कारण है कि वे 8 वें अवतार के रूप में जाने गए। वे भारतीय शासक नाभिराज की रानी मरुदेवी से जन्मे थे और भागवत में 22 अवतारों में से 8वें के रूप में उल्लिखित हैं ।"

डा. सर राधाकृष्णन भी दृढ़तापूर्वक कहते हैं कि "भागवत पुराण इस धारणा का समर्थन करता है कि ऋषभ जैनधर्म के संस्थापक थे। साक्ष्य हैं, जो दिखाते हैं कि बहुत पीछे लगभग ई. पू. प्रथम शताब्दी में भी प्रथम तीर्थङ्कर ऋषभदेव को पूजनेवाले लोग मौजूद थे। इसमें कोई संदेह नहीं है कि वर्द्धमान अथवा पार्श्वनाथ से पूर्व भी जैनधर्म चारों ओर फैला हुआ था। यजुर्वेद तीन तीर्थङ्करों के नामों का उल्लेख करता है- ऋषभ, अजितनाथ और अरिष्टनेमि । "

एस. एन. गोखले के शब्दों में, "प्राक् आर्यकाल से चले आ रहे दर्शन जैनधर्म का केन्द्रबिन्दु अहिंसा है।"

डॉ. कालीदास नाग कहते हैं, "इतिहास को जानने की शपथ लेनेवालों में से भी कोई नहीं जानता है कि बुद्ध से लाखों और करोड़ों वर्ष पूर्व, न केवल एक अथवा दो बल्कि कई जैन तीर्थङ्करों ने अहिंसा की शिक्षा का उपदेश दिया था। जैनधर्म बहुत प्राचीन धर्म है और इसने भारतीय संस्कृति को बहुत कुछ प्रदान किया है ।"

स्रोत - जैनधर्म : प्राचीनतम जीवित धर्म
लेखक - डॉ॰ ज्योतिप्रसाद जैन
अनुवादक - पुलक गोयल

anubhav_jain · May 25, 2021, 5:15pm

ऐतिहासिक खोज के लिये जो राय बहादुर श्री रामप्रसाद जी चन्दा के नेतृत्व में खुदाई हुई थी, इससे प्राप्त मोहन जोदरो सीलों के बारे में वे लिखते हैं कि

Mohan-Jo-Daro

(Sindh Five Thousand years ago)

“Not only the seated deities engraved on some of Indus seals are in yoga posture and bear witness to the prevalence of yoga in the Indus valley in that remote age, the standing deities on the seals also show Kayotsarga posture” of yoga. Further that ‘The Kayotsarga posture’ is peculiarly Jaina. It is a posture not of sitting but of standing. In the Adipurana a Book XV Vol III Kayotsarga posture is described in connection with the penences of Rishbha. A standing image of Jina Rishbha Kayotsarga posture on slab showing four such images assignable to the 2nd century A. D. in the Curzon Museum of Archaeology, Mathura is reproduced in figure 12. Among the Egyptian sculptures of time of the early dynasties there are standing statues with arms hanging on two sides. Although these early Egyptian statues and archaic Greek Kaurai show nearly the same pose, but they lock the jealing of abandon that characterises the standing figures on the Indus seal and images of Jainas in the Kayotsarga posture. The name Vrishbha means bull and bull is the emblem of Jina Rishabha.”

स्रोत - मध्य एशिया और पंजाब में जैन धर्म, पेज १३

anubhav_jain · June 10, 2021, 6:11am

Sam Harris on Jainism

Jainism actually is a religion of peace. The core principle of Jainism is non violence. Gandhi got has non-violence from the Jains. The crazier you get as a Jain the less we have to worry about you. Jain extremists are actually they are they are paralyzed by their pacifism. Jain extremists just they can’t take their eyes off the ground when they walk less they step on an ant. They filter every sip of water through cheesecloth, lest they swallow and thereby kill a bug.
I mean needless to say they’re they’re vegetarian. Notice the problem is not religious extremism because extremism is not a problem if your core beliefs are truly nonviolent.”

Source- https://scholarfactcheck.com/sam-harris-on-jainism/

alfred0809 · January 7, 2023, 10:51pm

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