Jain Dharma is not meant to make life miserable. It is meant to reduce suffering by reducing attachment, violence, greed, and harm.

What can seem “hard” from outside is actually a path of discipline, compassion, and inner freedom. Its aim is:

• Ahimsa: not harming any living being
• Satya: truthfulness
• Aparigraha: non-possessiveness
• Self-control: calming passions like anger, pride, deceit, and greed

Jainism teaches that real happiness is not in temporary pleasures, but in a शांत, pure, and liberated soul. So the path may feel strict, but its goal is deep peace, not misery.

As for the number of followers, Jainism has always emphasized quality of conduct, not numbers. Even if a tradition is small, its value is not less.

In short: Jainism is not a religion of misery; it is a religion of disciplined nonviolence and liberation.