Jainism and Hinduism

In Hinduism, moksha means merging of soul with universal soul or eternal being and escaping the cycle of births and deaths; in Jainism, it is action-less and peaceful existence. In Vedic philosophy or Sanatana Dharma, salvation is giving up the sense of being a doer and realizing Self to be the same as Universe and God.[9] In Jainism, salvation can be achieved only through self-effort and is considered to be the right of human beings.[10]

In Jainism, one definite path to attain liberation (moksha) is prescribed. The prescribed threefold path consists of the three jewels of Jainism (Right belief, Right knowledge, Right conduct). In Hinduism, no one definite path to salvation is prescribed.[10]

According to Jain cosmology, the universe is eternal, it is neither created nor it can be destroyed. In Hinduism, it is believed to by a creator, and destroyed by God, to be created again. [10]

Karma is an invisible force in Hinduism, whereas in Jainism it is a form of matter which can stick to the soul.[10]

In Hinduism, Gods are worshiped in several ways and for several reasons such as knowledge, peace, wisdom, health, and it also believed to be one's duty to pray god as God is considered as our maker (as we originated from them and we are staying in them and at last will merge with them), for moksham (by attaining moksham we can join him and escape this Maya or dualistic nature which makes us think that we are different from the universal soul) and are also offered food as a respect, etc.[10][11] In Jainism, the siddhas represent the true goal of all human beings,[12] their qualities are worshiped by the Jains.[13]

Jains agree with Hindus that violence in self-defence can be justified,[14] and they agree that a soldier who kills enemies in combat is performing a legitimate duty.[15] Jain communities accepted the use of military power for their defence, there were Jain monarchs, military commanders, and soldiers.[16]

The scriptures known as Vedas are regarded by Hindus as one of the foundations of Hinduism. Those who rejected the Vedas as the prime source of religious knowledge were labeled "nāstika".[22] As a consequence, Jainism and Buddhism were categorized as nāstika darśana.[22]

The orthodox schools of Hinduism, such as Vedanta, Mimamsa and Samkhya, claim the Sruti do not have any author and hence are supreme to other religious scriptures. This position was countered by Jains who said that saying Vedas are authorless was equivalent to saying that anonymous poems are written by nobody. Jain scriptures, on the contrary, were believed by them to be of human origin, brought through omniscient teachers, and hence claimed greater worth.[23] According to Jains, the origin of Vedas lies with Marichi, the son of Bharata Chakravarti, who was the son of the first Tirthankara Rishabha. Jains maintain that these scriptures were later modified.[24][25] Jains pointed that Hindus do not know their own scriptures since they were unaware of the names of tirthankaras present in Vedas.[23]

Jains had a long-standing debate with Mimamsa school of Hinduism. Kumarila Bhatta, a proponent of Mimamsa school, argued that the Vedas are the source of all knowledge and it is through them that humans can differentiate between right and wrong. Jain monks, such as Haribhadra, held that humans are already in possession of all the knowledge, which only needs to be illuminated or uncovered in order to gain the status of omniscience.[26]

The practice of Vedic animal sacrifices was opposed by Jains.[20] Hemachandra, a Jain monk, cites passages from Manusmriti, one of the law book of Hindus, to demonstrate how, in light of false scriptures, Hindus have resorted to violence. Akalanka, another Jain monk, sarcastically said that if killing can result in enlightenment, one should become a hunter or fisherman.[23]

The rejection of Hindu epics and scriptures were dominant in Jainism since very early times.[20] The central Hindu scriptures and epics like Vedas, Mahabharata and Ramayana are categorized as false scriptures in Nandi-sutra,[27][28] one of the svetambara's canonical literature. Later, Jains adapted various Hindu epics in accordance with their own system.[29][30][25] There were disputes between Jains and Hindus in form of these epics.[31]

Jains and Hindus have coexisted in Tamil country since at least the second century BCE.[37]

Competition between Jains and Brahmans, between Jains and Shaivas, is a frequent motif of all medieval western Indian narratives, but the two communities for the most part coexisted and coprospered.[38] Shaiva kings patronised Jain mendicants, and Jain officials patronised Brahmana poets.[38]

Around the 8th century CE, Hindu philosopher Ādi Śaṅkarācārya tried to restore the Vedic religion. Śaṅkarācārya brought forward the doctrine of Advaita. The Vaishnavism and Shaivism also began to rise. This was particularly in the southern Indian states.[39]

According to a Saivite legend, the Pandya king Koon Pandiyan ordered a massacre of 8,000 Jain monks. This event is depicted graphically in walls of Tivatur in North Arcot.[40] However, this legend is not found in any Jain text, and is believed to be a fabrication made up by the Saivites to prove their dominance.[41][42]

With the onset of British colonialism, select groups of Indians developed responses to the British dominance and the British critique of Hinduism.[51] In this context, various responses toward Jainism developed.[52]

The Arya Samaj was founded by Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883), who "was the solitary champion of Vedic authority and infallibility".[51] Swami Dayanand Saraswati authored Satyarth Prakash,[53] a book containing the basic teachings of Saraswati and the Arya Samaj.[54] It contains "Dayananda's bitter criticisms of the major non-Vedic religions of Indian origins."[55] In the Satyarth Prakash, he writes that he regarded Jainism as "the most dreadful religion",[56] and that Jains are "possessed of defective and childish understanding."[56][note 1]

A recent strategy, exemplified by Rajiv Malhotra, is the use of the term dharma as a common denominator, which also includes Jainism and Buddhism.[58]