Jainism Before 650 BCE: Spiritual Heritage and Sramanic Traditions

Summary

Jainism, one of the oldest living religions in the Indic civilization, boasts a rich spiritual, cultural, and literary heritage. It belongs to the Sramana tradition, which emphasizes renunciation of worldly possessions and liberation of the soul from transmigration. Asceticism forms the core of this tradition, distinguishing it from the Vedic tradition. Jainism traces its origins to pre-historic India, with beliefs asserting the universe's eternal existence, neither created nor destined to cease. Time is conceptualized through cyclical patterns divided into periods called kalachakras, each comprising an utsarpini (ascending phase of progress) and an avsarpini (descending phase of decline). Each half-cycle further splits into six distinct eras. During utsarpini, civilization evolves from its most primitive state to its peak, while avsarpini marks a decline back to deterioration. The text, part of a 2022 publication by the International School for Jain Studies and DK Printworld, is reviewed by Navin Kr. Srivastav, an Assistant Curator at Amar Prerana Trust in Pune.