and the twenty fourth Vardhamana,
were only 250 years, and the age of the latter is given as only
seventy-two years. He appeared, according to some, in the last half of
the sixth century, according to others in the first half of the fifth
century B.C. He is of course the true, historical prophet of the Jainas
and it is in his doctrine, that the Jainas should believe. The dating
back of the origin of the Jaina religion again, agrees with the
pretensions of the Buddhists, who recognise twenty-five Buddhas who
taught the same system one after the other. Even with Brahmanism, it seems
to be in some distant manner connected, for the latter teaches in its
cosmogony, the successive appearance of Demiurges, and wise men--the
fourteen Manus, who, at various periods helped to complete the work of
creation and proclaimed the Brahmanical law. These Brahmanical ideas may
possibly have given rise to the doctrines of the twenty-five Buddhas and
twenty-four Jinas, [Footnote: For the list of these Jinas, see below.]
which, certainly, are later additions in both systems.

The undoubted and absolutely correct comprehension of the nine truths
which the Jina gives expression to, or of the philosophical system which
the Jina taught, represents the second Jewel--the true Knowledge. Its
principal features are shortly as follows. [Footnote: More complete
representations are to be found in Colebrooke's _Misc. Essays_. Vol.
I, pp. 404, 413, with Cowell's Appendix p. 444-452; Vol. II, pp. 194, 196,
198-201; H. H. Wilson's _Select Works_, Vol. I, pp. 297-302, 305-317;
J. Stevenson, _Kalpasutra_, pp. xix-xxv; A. Barth, _Religions de
l'Inde_, pp. 84-91.]

The world (by which we are to understand, not only the visible, but also
imaginary continents depicted with the most extravagant fancy, heavens and
hells of the Brahmanical Cosmology, extended by new discoveries) is
uncreated. It exists, without ruler, only by the power of its elements,
and is everlasting. The elements of the world are six substances--souls,
_Dharma_ or moral merit, _Adharma_ or sin, space, time,
particles of matter. From the union of the latter spring four
elements--earth, fire, water, wind--and further, bodies and all other
appearances of the world of sense and of the supernatural worlds. The
forms of the appearances are mostly unchangeable. Only the bodies of men
and their age increase or decrease in consequence of the greater or less
influence of sin or merit, during immeasurab