Posted by
Evolution believes we were monkeys first, so the granths written in the time of adinath bhagwan, were they written by monkeys?
Answer
No. Jain Dharma does not say that the granths of Ādināth Bhagwan’s time were written by monkeys.
Also, modern evolution does not exactly say “humans were monkeys first.” It says humans and monkeys share earlier common ancestors. That is different from saying humans were once the same monkeys we see today.
Explanation
In Jain tradition, Ādināth Bhagwan, also called Ṛṣabhdev Bhagwan, appeared in the current avasarpinī kāl as the first Tīrthankar.
Jain tradition teaches that before Ṛṣabhdev Bhagwan, people lived in a more natural and simple way. Ṛṣabhdev Bhagwan taught society many essential arts and systems of life, such as:
- agriculture,
- cooking,
- social organization,
- skills and crafts,
- and spiritual discipline.
His teachings were received by human beings, not animals.
Regarding granths: Jain Agams and scriptures were preserved through the teachings of Tīrthankars, Ganadhars, Āchāryas, and the monk tradition. They were composed, memorized, transmitted, and later written by spiritually advanced human beings within the Jain sangh.
Spiritual Understanding
Jain Dharma and modern science approach time and life differently.
- Science studies physical bodies and biological development.
- Jain Dharma explains the soul, karma, rebirth, lok, kāl-chakra, and spiritual liberation.
From the Jain viewpoint, the soul is beginningless and has taken countless births in many forms — human, animal, heavenly, hellish, and other life forms — according to karma. So Jain Dharma already accepts that a soul may pass through many types of bodies over infinite time.
But this does not mean sacred Jain granths were written by monkeys. They belong to the human spiritual tradition guided by Tīrthankars and preserved by learned monks.
Takeaway
The correct Jain understanding is: Ādināth Bhagwan taught human society and spiritual dharma. Jain scriptures were preserved by human disciples and monk traditions, not by monkeys. Evolution and Jain Dharma speak from different frameworks, so they should not be mixed simplistically.
