evolution of hindu sects, Jain was original
One hypothesis I have is as follows: Hinduism is a sect of Jainism, Jainism is most ancient religion in India.
Jainism places a central emphasis on ahimsa (non-violence) as a fundamental vow. However, all vows across different Yugas were difficult for laypeople to uphold. This raises the question: where should laypeople draw the line? Hinduism addresses this dilemma, and the Bhagavad Gita provides clarity for the common person, explaining that it is sometimes acceptable to kill when there is excessive adharma (unrighteousness).
Hindu mythology frequently depicts the gods killing the asuras—beings who, although they performed all rituals correctly, were corrupted by excessive desires such as ego, greed, lust, and violence. On the material plane (Bhu-loka), Narayana (or the gods) are shown destroying these asuras, similar to their actions in other realms like Swarga, Vaikuntha, Kailasa, and so on.
The act of killing in these stories is symbolic. The asuras represent spiritual obstacles—such as ego, lust, and attachment—that must be eradicated for progress toward moksha (liberation). In essence, the destruction of the asuras by the gods symbolizes the removal of these spiritual barriers, allowing the soul to advance on its path to liberation.
To maintain the balance of the world, excessively powerful asuras cannot be allowed to flourish, so the gods end their existence. In contrast, weaker humans are given the space to live and evolve in their spiritual journeys.
After the evolution of the Jain sect, Shankaracharya later introduced a new Hindu philosophy—Advaita Vedanta—which emphasized the belief in a single, ultimate reality (Brahman). This philosophy was later refined by subsequent Hindu sects, some of which embraced the notion of multiple gods and multiple atmans (individual souls), each with its own path to moksha (which Jainism referred to as merging with Siddhashila or Shunya and Hinduism as merging with Brahman or infinity).
These developments continued to shape the tradition over time, with the most recent reform being the formation of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). ISKCON places Krishna as the supreme Brahman, while other sects may elevate figures like Ganesha to this status. This modern development allows for the duality of gods, along with the embrace of concepts like Anekantavada (the doctrine of multiple perspectives) and Syadvada (the theory of conditioned predication), ideas originally promoted by Jainism, but now integrated into these evolving Hindu traditions; refuting original Shankaracharya claims of 1 god & black-white dharma/adharma. There can be multiple truths existing at same time
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