Short answer: Jainism did not “drift from” Hinduism. In the Jain view, Jain Dharma is an eternal, independent Shramana tradition (anādi–ananta) taught in every time-cycle by Tirthankaras. What did happen is long, close coexistence with Brahmanical/Hindu traditions on the Indian subcontinent, which created surface similarities and cultural overlap. That proximity sometimes leads people to think one came out of the other.

How they are different at the root

• Authority: Jainism does not accept the Vedas as revealed authority. Its guidance comes from the Tirthankaras and Jain scriptures (Śvetāmbara: Āgamas; Digambara: texts like Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama, Kaṣāyapāhuḍa).
• God: Jainism has no creator God. The universe is beginningless and self-regulated by its own substances and laws.
• Soul and karma: Every jīva is eternal and responsible for its bondage; karma is a fine material substance that binds to the soul and can be shed through right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.
• Path: Ahimsā (non‑violence), Aparigraha (non‑possessiveness), Anekāntavāda/Syādvāda (non‑one‑sidedness), and strict vows—especially for monks and nuns—are central. Liberation is by one’s own effort, not divine grace.
• Practice: No Vedic sacrifices or caste‑based ritual obligations. Emphasis on vows, restraints, meditation, fasting, and careful conduct toward all life.

Why they can look similar

• Shared geography and languages led to common cultural forms—temple architecture, regional festivals, dress, and local idioms.
• Over centuries, there was mutual influence: for example, Jain emphasis on ahimsā and vegetarianism influenced wider Indian ethics; some Jain communities adopted local artistic styles and honored yakṣa–yakṣiṇī attendant deities as protectors (not creators).
• Social coexistence created overlap in community life (guilds, courts, patronage), but doctrine and monastic discipline remained distinctly Jain.

Historical note (for orientation, not “derivation”)

• Jain tradition speaks of 24 Tirthankaras in this time cycle, beginning with Ādinātha (Ṛṣabhanātha). The last, Bhagavān Mahāvīra, lived in the 1st millennium BCE. Traditional Śvetāmbara dating: 599–527 BCE; traditional Digambara dating: 540–468 BCE. Modern historians place him in the 5th–6th century BCE. These are parallel to, not from, Vedic/Brahmanical developments of the same era.

Bottom line

• Jainism and Hinduism are two distinct streams that flowed alongside each other for millennia. Jain Dharma did not “split from” Hinduism; it preserved its own independent teachings, scriptures, monastic orders, and path to mokṣa while sharing the same civilizational space.