duniya ke sabse prachin dharm jain dharm ko shramnon ka dharm kaha jata hai. vedon men pratham tirthankar rishbhnath ka ullekh milta hai. mana jata hai ki vaidik sahitya men jin yatiyon aur vratyon ka ullekh milta hai ve brahman paranpra ke n hokar shraman paranpra ke hi the. manusmriti men lichchavi, nath, malla adi kshatriyon ko vratyon men gina hai. jain dharm ka mul bharat ki prachin paranpraon men raha hai. aryon ke kal men rishbhdev aur arishtanemi ko lekar jain dharm ki paranpra ka varnan bhi milta hai. mahabharat kal men is dharm ke pramukh neminath the. jain dharm ke 22ven tirthankar arisht neminath bhagvan krishn ke chachere bhai the. jain dharm ne krishn ko unke traisashth shalaka purushon men shamil kiya hai, jo barah naraynon men se ek hain. aisi manyata hai ki agli chaibis men krishn jainiyon ke pratham tirthankar honge. i.pu. athvin sadi men 23ven tirthankar pashrvanath hue, jinka janm kashi men hua tha. kashi ke pas hi 11ven tirthankar shreyansnath ka janm bhi hua tha.
inhin ke nam par sarnath ka nam prachlit hai. bhagvan pashrvanath tak yah paranpra kabhi sangthit rup men astitva men nahin ai. pashrvanath se pashrvanath sanpraday ki shuruat hui aur is paranpra ko ek sangthit rup mila. bhagvan mahavir pashrvanath sanpraday se hi the. jain dharm men shraman sanpraday ka pahla sanpraday pashrvanath ne hi khara kiya tha. ve shraman vaidik paranpra ke viruddh the. yahin se jain dharm ne apna alag astitva garhna shuru kar diya tha. mahavir tatha buddh ke kal men ye shraman kuch bauddh tatha kuch jain ho gae. in donon ne alg-alag apni shakhaen bana lin. i.pu. 599 men antim tirthankar bhagvan mahavir ne tirthankron ke dharm aur paranpra ko suvyasthit rup diya, kaivalya ka rajapath nirmit kiya, sangh-vyavastha ka nirman kiya. muni, aryika, shravak aur shravika yahi unka chaturvidh sangh kahlaya. bhagvan mahavir ne 72 varsh ki ayu men deh tyag kiya. bhagvan mahavir ke kal men hi videhiyon aur shramnon ki is paranpra ka nam jin (jain) para arthat jo apni indriyon ko jit len.
dharm par matbhed: ashok ke abhilekhon se yah pata chalta hai ki unke samay men magadh men jain dharm ka prachar tha. lagabhag isi samay, mathon men basne vale jain muniyon men yah matbhed shuru hua ki tirthankron ki murtiyan kapre pahnakar rakhi jae ya nagn avastha men. is bat par bhi matbhed tha ki jain muniyon ko vastra pahnna chahie ya nahin. age chalakar yah matbhed aur bhi barh gaya. isa ki pahli sadi men akar jain dharm ko manne vale muni do dalon men bant gae. ek dal shvetanbar kahlaya, jinke sadhu safed vastra (kapre) pahnte the. dusra dal diganbar kahlaya jiske sadhu nagn (bina kapre ke) hi rahte the. shvetanbar aur diganbar ka parichay ah bhagvan mahavir ne jain dharm ki dhara ko vyavasthit karne ka karya kiya, lekin unke bad jain dharm multah do sanpradayon men vibhakt ho gaya shvetanbar aur diganbar. donon sanpradayon men matbhed darshanik siddhanton se jyada charitra ko lekar hai. diganbar acharan palan men adhik kathor hain jabki shvetanbar kuch udar hain.
shvetanbar sanpraday ke muni shvet vastra pahnte hain jabki diganbar muni nirvastra rahakar sadhna karte hain. yah niyam keval muniyon par lagu hota hai. diganbar sanpraday ka manna hai ki mul agam granth lupt ho chuke hain, kaivalya gyan prapt hone par siddh ko bhojan ki avashyakta nahin rahti aur stri sharir se kaivalya gyan sanbhav nahin, kintu shvetanbar sanpraday aisa nahin mante hain. diganbron ki tin shakhaen hanai mandirmargi, murtipujak aur terapanthi, aur shvetanbron ki mandirmargi tatha sthankvasi do shakhaen hain. diganbar sanpraday ke muni vastra nahin pahnte. ‘dig’ ka tatparya hai disha. disha hi andar hai, jiska vah ‘diganbr’. vedon men bhi inhen ‘vatrshna’ kaha hai. shvetanbar sanpraday ke muni safed vastra dharan karte hain. koi 300 sal pahle shvetanbron men hi ek shakha aur nikli ‘sthankvasi’. ye log murtiyon ko nahin pujte. jainiyon ki terhpanthi, bispanthi, tarnpanthi, yapniya adi kuch aur bhi upshakhaen hain. jain dharm ki sabhi shakhaon men thora-bahut matbhed hone ke bavjud bhagvan mahavir tatha ahinsa, sanyam aur anekantvad men sabka saman vishvas hai.
gupt kal: isa ki pahli shatabdi men kaling ke raja kharvel ne jain dharm svikar kiya. isa ke praranbhik kal men uttar bharat men mathura aur dakshin bharat men maisur jain dharm ke bahut bare kendra the. rajvanshon men panchvin se barhvin shatabdi tak dakshin ke gang, kadamb, chalukya aur rashtrakut rajvanshon ne jain dharm ke prachar-prasar men mahatvapurn yogdan diya. in rajaon ke yahan anek jain muniyon, kaviyon ko ashray evan sahayta prapt hoti thi. gyarhvin sadi ke aspas chalukya vansh ke raja siddharaj aur unke putra kumarpal ne jain dharm ko rajadharm ghoshit kar diya tatha gujrat men uska vyapak prachar-prasar kiya gaya.
muglkal: mugal shasan kal men hindu, jain aur bauddh mandiron ko akramnkari muslimon ne nishana banakar lagabhag 70 fisdi mandiron ka namonishan mita diya. dahashat ke mahaul men dhire-dhire jainiyon ke math tutne evan bikhrne lage lekin fir bhi jain dharm ko samaj ke logon ne sangthit hokar bachae rakha. jain dharm ke logon ka bhartiya sanskriti, sabhyata aur samaj ko viksit karne men bahut hi mahatvapurn yogdan raha hai.