On My Mind

Development of Jainism as a religion is seen as a response to the then Brahmin dominated Hinduism. It attracted followers initially but soon lost the steam. Some of the major reasons are: Austerity : Jainism is a tough religion to practice. Apart from the very tough conditions for monks which included absolute control over senses, renunciation of physical objects etc., the households didn’t have it easy either. Lack of Patronage : Jainism initially had the patronage of some great kings including Chandragupta Maurya, Kharvela and Ajatshatru. But it isn’t easy being a king and strictly following the ideals of nonviolence and hence Jainism soon gave way to Buddhism and Hinduism. Advent of Buddhism : Buddhism rose at the same time as Jainism. Thus Jainism had to compete with a religion which was less demanding from the followers. Buddhism looked more practical to those who wanted to escape the Brahmin dominated Hinduism. Division into sects : Jainism divided into two sects: Digambar...

Often these days, there is a war cry to save Indian Culture, to diss "foreign" rulers, to purify the culture. On one of the unfortunate days, I gave it a thought and was left wondering about what Indian culture is! Is it today's culture which is apparently influenced by western culture and has lead to movements to pursue equality among different sections or when it has lead to affect the customs like respecting elders, taking care of old parents? Nah, this doesn't make sense. This includes adulterations. This isn't the Indian culture we talk about.  Then is it what we had when British left? The social traditions of untouchability, child marriage, limitations on women, a rigid caste system? But this system had the traditions of taking care of old parents intact. Nah, this doesn't sound like the golden India either. There are so many social evils in this period. Let's backdate again. It must be the era when Mughal power was declining and ...