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Jainism Before 650 B...
Jainism Before 650 BCE
by: Shugan Chand Jain , Shrinetra Pandey$36.00
ISBN: 9788124611081
Year Of Publication: 2022
Edition: 2nd Revised
Pages : vi, 275
Bibliographic Details : Appendices, Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies Pune
Size: 22
Weight: 500
Ancient history of India reveals that there were two parallel traditions in India, viz. Vedic and Sramanic. The Sramana Tradition includes Jainism, Buddhism and others such as the Ajivikas and Ajtianas. Jain religious tradition is one of the oldest living religions of India. Historicity of 24th Tirthankara Mahavira in sixth century BCE is well established. The Jain records mention the name of 23 tirthankaras before Mahavira. Among them Parsvanatha was the 23rd and Neminatha was the 22nd.
Parsvanatha is now acknowledged as a historical figure by a number of scholars. The existence of Parsva’s Order in Mahavira’s time is recorded as a discussion between the followers of Parsva (caturyama) and those of Mahavira (pancayama) in the Uttara-adhyayanasiitra. Keeping this fact in mind, International School for Jain Studies (ISJS) in association with the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORT) organized a two-day International Seminar on “Traces of Sramana Tradition (with special reference to Jainism): Prior to 650 BCE” on 5-6 October 2019 in Pune. This book contains 13 selected papers presented in this seminar exploring the available archaeological, cultural, social and literary evidences to substantiate the existence of Jain tradition before 650 BCE.
Introduction
Shugan C. Jain
1.Antiquity and Coexistence of Śramaṇa and Vedic Traditions
– Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari
2.Tracing the Existence of 22nd and 23rd Tīrthaṁkaras
– Shugan C. Jain
3.Antiquity of Jainism
– Bhagchandra Jain “Bhaskar”
4.The Inheritance and Evolution of the Śramaṇa Tradition in China
– Shi Guagquan and Dong Yinjie
5.Vrātya: A Representative of Śramaṇa Tradition
– Ganesh Umakant Thite
6.Historicity of Tīrthaṁkara Neminātha in the Context of Kinship with Vāsudeva-Kr̥ṣṇa and Continuity of Tradition: Study in the Light of Texts and Archaeological Findings
– Shanti Swaroop Sinha
7.The Archaeological Findings at Kaṅkālī Ṭīlā, Mathurā, Preceding Pārśvanātha
– Renuka Porwal
8.Development of Jainism and Buddhism along the Silk Road: An Analysis
– Volkmar Ensslin
9.Role of Palm-Leaf Manuscripts in the Documentation of Jainism in Ancient Sri Lanka
– Kanchana Dehigama
10.Origin and Development of Jain Śramaṇic Culture in India: Evidences from Literature and Art
– Vinay Kumar
11.Antiquity and Historicity of Jainism with Special Reference to Śramaṇa Tradition
– Umesh Kumar Singh
12.The Notions of Contemporaneity of Mahāvīra and the Buddha and the Chronological Epoch of the Mahāvīra in Sixth Century bce: A Revisit in 2019
– Megh Kalyanasundaram
13.Crisis of Separate Identity in Early Indology: Jainism vis-à-vis Buddhism
– Amruta Natu
Appendix I: Highlights of the Seminar
Appendix II: Organizing Institutions
Contributors
Consolidated Bibliography
Index
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History of Jainism (3 Vols set) $113.00
History of Jainism has been presented here in three parts. The first part tries to prove through the archaeological and literary sources the historicity of Tirthankara, Parshvanatha and Mahavira, explaining their life and education besides religious, political, social, artistic and literary conditions of their times.
The second part surveys the history of the Jaina dharma, its expansion and significance. The effects of Jaina dharma increased when Mauryas were ruling Magadha and Kharawelas ruled Orissa. No doubt, the period from the ninth to twelfth centuries ce was a golden time in the history of Jainism and even traders, labourers and craftsmen were highly influenced by it during Kushana period. Seen geographically, Cauhana, Paramara and Calukya were acting as watchmen for Jainism in the north, and in the south it was being nourished by Rashtrakuta and Ganga (Kingdoms). Many Jaina temples were constructed, and monuments erected in honour of their deities. This part illustrates the many ways in which Jainism was served by the Jaina monks, saints, scholars and the politicians and answers questions such as: What kind of religious and social unions were made after the division and what were their traditional characteristics? How were the different leagues and monasteries of Jaina sages made? What was the lineage of various castes and how it originated?
The third part, associated with the middle ages of Jainism, describes that even though there was Muslim rule, still many organizations were sponsored with the influence of Jainism. Truthfully, there was a decline in Jainism during the middle ages but it remained protected. Many pilgrimages and historical places were established with the great influence of Jainism. Dr A.H. Nizami has written here about the Muslim reign, conditions of Jainism and also about the admirable Jainas. Dr Surendra Gopal has described the social and financial conditions prevailing during this period. Dr Shyam Sunder Nigam has penned on the Middle Ages of India and Dr Prakash Chandra Jain has written about the Jaina religion in the Middle Ages in Malwa region.
This monumental work will be a treat for the minds and eyes of people curious about Jainism. -
Apbharamsa Hindi Kosha $50.00
This Dictionary of Hindi Apabhramsa gives in detail the grammatical importance of words, their meanings, correct spellings, the alternate words and their various usages as mentioned by lexicographer Naresh Kumar.
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Somadeva’s Yashastilaka $40.00
Yashastilaka by Somadeva, composed in ce 959, is a Jaina religious romance written in Sanskrit prose and verse. It is notable as an encyclopaedic record of literary, socio-political, religious and philosophical data that throws light on the cultural history of the Deccan in early medieval India. This volume presents a critical study of the work, providing a comprehensive picture of the life and thought of the time of Somadeva. It begins with a discussion on Somadeva and his age and gives a synopsis of Yashastilaka. it examines the Yashastilaka as a prose and a religious romance, a socio-political record and as an anthology of Sanskrit verse. The book discusses various philosophical doctrines in Indian thought. With many detailed references and footnotes, it reveals the Yashastilaka as a work that expounds the cardinal teachings of Jainism. It throws light on Jaina dogmatics, religious poetry, moral and religious stories, and myths and legends in the process of examining the work. The volume also has supplementary notes incorporating the results of studies on Somadevas relations with the Vemulavada Calukyas and the locality in which he wrote his masterpiece.
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Building a Theory of the Indic Brahmi Writing System $20.00
This book develops a consilience of research and thinking in epigraphy, archaeology, and linguistics on the Indic Brahmi writing system. Its objective is to identify the problems that need to be tackled by anybody who tries to develop a theory of the Brahmi writing system. As for the currently scientifically supported hypothesis that Brahmi originated in Tamil Nadu during the sixth century BCE or earlier, Patel opts for the need to keep this as an idea for the working basket awaiting new archaeological research in the sixth-century Magadha region.
The book deliberates upon how ancient Tamil Nadu was receptive to literacy. The Brahmanical fascination for orality blocked literacy in Vedic India. The brahmanas from north India entered Tamil Nadu only during the third century bce and lived away from residential areas. Tamil Nadu at the time had no caste system. This is reflected in the Sangam literature, which followed historically the grammarian Tolkappiyar. The conditions in Sri Lanka before and after the arrival of Buddhism are noted in relation to the rise of literacy. The relationship between Brahmi in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu is highlighted for the purpose of further research. Also noted is the need for research on the differences between Dravidian and northern scripts in the way the aksharas are formed in graphic representation. -
History of Jainism $34.00
As one of the worlds major religions, founded on the spiritual principles of ahimsa (non-violence), truth, and righteous conduct, Jainism has today 2,600 years of a splendid living tradition with a well-defined worldview, metaphysics and code of ethics. A leading scholar, V.K. Sharma here presents an altogether fresh, pan-Indian historical survey of this great religion, spelling out its beginnings, antiquity, doctrines, tirthamkaras, country-wide spread and, among other aspects, its contribution to Indias culture and art heritage in all its varied manifestations. In the latter part of the book, the author comes to focus upon Jainism in the specific contexts of Mathura one of Indias ancient cities, which not only is venerated as the legendary birthplace of Lord Krishna, but is also famed as an eminent centre of Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jaina art. Thus shows Dr. Sharma how this principal Vaishnava centre today had been a stronghold of Jainism: from c. second century bc to about eleventh century ad; how it has contributed to Jaina canon, literature and iconography; and how in Mathura is traceable the centuries-long, unbroken history of Jaina plastic art. Setting out a panoramic view of Jaina architecture, sculptural art, and socio-religious life over the ages, specially in the sacred city of Mathura, this study is based on wide-ranging authoritative sources and supplemented by a number of highly representatives illustrations.
Paresh Doshi –
This needs to be made available in paperback, so that it can reach more people.