ON THE INDIAN SECT OF THE JAINAS

The author has revealed that the Jaina sect is a religious society of modern India, at variance to Brahmanism, and possesses undoubted claims on the interest of all friends of Indian history. This claim is based partly on the peculiarities of their doctrines and customs, which present several resemblances to those of Buddhism, but, above all, on the fact that it was founded in the same period as the latter. Larger and smaller communities of Jainas or Arhata,that is followers of the prophet, who is generally called simply theJina’the conqueror of the world’,or the Arhat’the holy one’,are to be found in almost every important Indian town, particularly among the merchant class. In some provinces of the West and Northwest, in Gujarat, Rajputana, and the Panjab, as also in the Dravidian districts in the south,especially in Kanara,they are numerous; and, owing to the influence of their wealth, they take a prominent place. They do not, however, present a compact mass, but are divided into two rival branchesthe Digambara and Svetambara. Each of which is split up into several subdivisions. The Digambara, that is, “those whose robe is the atmosphere,” owe their name to the circumstance that they regard absolute nudity as the indispensable sign of holiness, though the advance of civilization has compelled them to depart from the practice of their theory. The ?vetambara, that is, “they who are clothed in white”do not claim this doctrine, but hold it as possible that the holy ones, who clothe themselves, may also attain the highest goal. They allow, however, that the founder of the Jaina religion and his first disciples disdained to wear clothes.