Examining the history & origins of some of the most important philosophical concepts of pre common era in the Indian Subcontinent.

To sand this, we first need to find what was common in those religions.

Common features depicted in the images.

Now, we must understand that the common ideas are sometimes basics of a Religion & sometimes just a part of it.
Thus Moskha may mean something different in one & completely different in other but if we should try toorigin term Moksha/anything that is related that existed before.

Now to continue the research, we are not going to consider mythological stories of any religion.
Be it the 24=saints of Buddhism & Jainism or stories of Ramayana or Mahabharata but will depend on historical records & ideas of Religion & their chronology.

For this only those records that are accepted by historians to be of that age can be used.
So before you bring your mythology & say that you had 22 Tirthankar before Parshavnatha to prove that you are oldest religion.
I want you to prove your point with sources.

Saying that Vedas mentioned the Jain Tirthankar.
I just wanna tell you that if he is mentioned in Vedas as a Vedic Saint or Vedic age King then he would have been mentioned with some title/phrases like other kings/saints in Vedas but in reality Rishab means = excellence/bull etc.

I share in the images the origins of some important concepts of Jainism & Buddhism that were already mentioned in Vedas or were part of the Vedic literature.

One thing we must understand that both Jainism & Buddhism do not speak of the origin of terms Karma, Atma, Moksa etc but these terms are quite vaguely mentioned in Vedas & then the origins are mentioned in the Upnisahads in form of Stories.

The Jain & Buddhist seem to be already aware of the terms like Atma, Karma & they do not speak of their origins.

For any idea like that as complex as Karma we must understand that we should first have basic ideas behind it which would lead to development of complex philosophy.

The very basics are mentioned in Vedas only.
These texts seem to have adopted these ideologies & then used it & this is the reason that we are not able to trace other laws of past related to the laws that these Religion have used to attaract masses in the 6-7 century.

We must understand one thing that the Karma/Satya as laws are vaguely mentioned in the Vedas & then they are extensively discussed in Upnisahads which later popularised these concepts & then others adopted the original upnishads' philosophy & made new defination.

Also we find that most of the Jain/Buddhist Gurus were referred as Kshatriyas which clearly meant that these Gurus were aware of the Vedic & Upnishad texts.

Had they formed the new religions seperately they would not have dependent on the social system of Sanatana.

Now, let us find out about Upnishads & how these Upnishads are recognised by historians as first sources that mentioned the Laws of Karma,Atma,Satya,Dharma etc as new important themes for the society.

Upanishadic Summary continued.

Summary of older Upanishads continued.

Upanishad were compiled by 5th century BCE.

The oldest Upanishads can be traced till 9th century BCE & the oldest have the exhaustive discussion of many laws that the later offshoots of Hindusim used to make new sects.

Also, I am using Wikipedia sources here for the ease of presenting the information here.
If in case you don't trust it then please go to citation & present the proofs.

Here we find the Chandogya & Brihadaranyaka Upnishads were the first sources to discuss many philosophy.

And these Philosophies are first presented in the Upanishads & later copied by other sects to make new Religions.
Also the Upanishads were closely connected to Vedic knowledge & the philosophy like Atma is immortal was later even used in Mahabharata's text.

Thus by studying the Upanishads we can easily find that the most important philosophical ideas like Atman, Reincarnation, Karma,Moksa etc took their defination as Important laws only after their arrival & these ideas did not emerge in a moment but we're gradually developed.

Buddhist & Jains although say that they are not offshoots of Hinduism but they themselves used the gods like Indra in their mythological texts like in Jainism he visited at the Birth of Mahavir but we know Indra is a Vedic god.

We also see how the Jataka tales changed & modified the Stories of Ramayana & Mahabharata & changed them as a strategy for spreading Buddhism.
Not only this many stories of Arabian Nights & Jataka tales are from the Hindu story books of Panchatantra.

Also we have seen Jainism and Buddhism getting influenced by each other and how Jainism's view of 24 Tirthankar came as a response to the Buddhist ideas to win the race of becoming the Religion of choice for others

The Religion offshoots were usually a result of extreme exercise of powers of Brahmins in that age like the authority of Vedas & many books & knowledge resided with few Brahmins post Vedic ages & these movements were actually not revolts but rather reformist movements.

Such reformist movements were not just started by Kshatriyas but also Brahmins & it was Brahmins who started these with Upanishads & criticising the rituals like it is done in Chandogya Upanishads.

And later more emphasis was put on Karma in Mahabharata.

Some more examples on Philosophy of Upanishads.

Images relating to the Upanishads contribution to philosophy.

These Upanishadic Philosophy was later adopted by Buddhism & Jainism as basics of their Religion.

Hinduism already mentioned these ideas & new religions took these ideas & applied defination sometimes same/different.

Thus the very basic idea of Atma was developed by Vedas & Upanishads & these were later modified/expanded/kept same in new offshoots of Hinduism.

How come Jainism & Buddhism if the Jains & Buddhist say existed before 6th/7th century not have much change & ideas like Hinduism had in form of Vedas?

Buddhism/Jainism in just 500 years kf their making changed a lot.
So how can these religions say that these existed w/o change.

Above image also depict about the idea of vegetarianism that today Jain follow did not exist as always but was later adopted.
Also Jains got divided in two sects.
They even started worshiping stupas like Buddhist & made temples & changed a lot in just 500-700 years.

Upanishadic philosophy provided a lot as base for the new religions to grow upon.
These ideas did not grow in a flash but were results of thousand of years old Vedic culture & a series of rishis that brought revolution in the field of philosophy.

Continuing the Upanishads' philosophy.

Kindly look at the images & find out more about the Upanishads.

I'm sorry that while presenting these philosophies I have not presented them in order but still these texts still prove that the Philosophical contribution.

Ending the philosophical contribution here for now.
Sources next.

Sources of the claims that Upanishads provided important philosophical ideas.

Sources continued.

Now, we will be examining a particular Upanishad story which will tell us how the rishis introduced to the masses the idea of Atma, The Eternal Self & other ideas.
Kindly refer the images.

Here we can imagine how the ideas got popular among masses in that age through stories.

Many laws summarised.
Even Jain beliefs of the Eternal self was already mentioned in Sanatan/Vedic/Post Vedic works which was later modified in Jain Dharma.

It was called the state of Brahman:-
All pervading & extreme reality.
Worshipped in form of male, females & by many names.

Moksha is just mentioned in Vedas but the earliest defination of Moksha is found in the Upanishads & Mahabharata.
These two works pay emphasis on the knowledge of Vedas.

Word Karman occurs in Rig Veda 40 times.
It was first described in comprehensive manner in Upanishads.

Not just this Brahmacharya & living lives like Ascetics was already known before Mahavir & Buddha in Vedic age.

Thus origins of Denouncing lives again lead to Sanatana.

Tracing the origins of Sanyasa or in Jains & Buddhist language renouncing material lives.

And here we find from the oldest accounts about sanyasa one more thing and i.e. this Sanyasa was not necessarily Brahmacharya.
As it mentions here.
It was much more like that which Buddhists & Jains followed.
It means that even Brahmins renounced material lives.

This particularly proves again that the newer religions were not completely anti-Vedic culture because the ideas of Sanyasa & Ascetcism was something that was already known in the Vedic ages.

Although, Jain philosophy had flaws.
They thought that we have done bad karmas in past lives & if we don't do any karma i.e. renounce life & in some way die which today one will call suicide then we may clear our past bad Karma & get away with the sufferings.

This was a major problem for the society.
Imagine a kshatriya denouncing his Karma as warrior during war like Arjuna wanted then the world would have been left in Turmoil.
And the old Hindus knew that this escapist way is not the way to end sufferings.

This was followed by extreme steps like Caste system & duties of caste by the side of old Hindus at a much larger extent.
Mahavir's teaching would have already affected many families.
And with Buddha, more young men started renouncing lives.

Usually the parents denied the renouncing of lives but the children were able to make them say yes.

But these type of actions led to struggles of old parents or those who were poors because sons usually were able to force their parents to say 'yes'.

I have heard many Jains say that Hinduism is newer Religion.
Hindu is Persian & etc.

I wanna tell Jains that before 1879 Jains were usually addressed as Hindu/Buddhist sect.