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Jainism is one of the oldest known religions in the world today. It is very closely related to Hinduism and is the minority religion of India. One difference from Hinduism would be the way that the Vedas are seen. Jainism is a non-vedic religion. Though, the views on karma and sansara are the same in both religions. The word Jainism is derived from Jina, meaning victor or conqueror. The universal message of Jainism is that of non-violence. There is no creator or God in this religion. It all started with Mahavira who was born around 599 BCE. He decided to abandon his well known life and take a not so traveled path of an ascetic life. He gave away his possessions, and embarked on a new journey. He went though castigation, including bodily and spiritual injury for twelve years. He emerged from this a teacher, preacher and founder of a new religion. The religion is based on the Tirkankaras, which are 24 role models. The first of these is Parshava, who is believed to live during the early days of the written Vedas. The last Tirthakankara is Mahavira, who was born in 599 BCE. Mahavira is the focal point on Jainism today. There are two different groups of Jains, Shevtambaras and Digambaras. The two groups strongly disagree about the lif