History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s6.13

v3.c41.s6.13

Naturally Buddhism, as the latest and the greatest protest against Brahminism succeeded more than Jainism. Moreover, it seems to us that while Buddha preached to the common people in their language, Mahāvīra did not, and the Buddhist canon was soon evolved in Pali while the Jain canon remained unwritten for a long time. The Buddhist monk life again was easy, while Mahāvīra insisting on nudity and self-mortification, Jain asceticism was more difficult to practise. And finally, Buddhism received immense impetus from the two imperial followers, Aśoka and Kanishka. Buddhism, therefore, became the predominant religion, especially in Northern India, for many centuries while Jainism remained in a minority. In the religious map of India we have prepared from the detailed account of the travels of Hiuen Tsang and which we have appended to the first volume, it will be seen that in some parts such as Kapiśa, Sind, Magadha and Malwa, Buddhism was predominant while it shared the inhabitants equally throughout almost the whole of India. Jainism appears only in isolated places and in a minority i. e. in Bihar, in Orissa or Kalinga, in Chola and in Karnātak in the 7th century A. D. Later when Kumārila and Śankara made the final attack on Buddhism, Jainism, as an unimportant opponent, was not chiefly noticed and went on, while Buddhism was rigorously attacked and finally supplanted. It must be remembered, however, that in intellectuality Jainism was never inferior to Buddhism, for we find Jainism, as a separate philosophy, is tried to be refuted in the Brahma-sūtras of Bādarāyaṇa. Indeed we think that the Jains from the very beginning were posted in all the necessary Śāstras, logic and grammar especially, and their proficiency in astrology and medicine always attracted the respect of the common people. It seems that intellectual Brahmins also joined the ranks of Jains as of Buddhists from time to time owing to conviction as well as for honour and contributed to the maintenance of the reputation of the Jains for learning.