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by Jayaram V
Jainism is considered to be one of the most ancient religious
traditions of India.
Vardhamana Mahavira, was not the founder but a reformer of
Jainism and 24th in the line of Thirthankaras or religious teachers. Through
his teachings and personal example, he revived Jainism and made it
a popular religion in ancient India. Followers of Jainism consider him
to be the most important of the Thirthankaras, who revived age old
traditions and practices and ensured the popularity and continuity of
Jainism as a religion of the masses. Legend records that Rishabhadeva was the first Thirthankara and founder of
Jainism, who must have lived several generations before Mahavira, as
far as back about 1500 BC or even earlier. Some Indologists believe
that the Indus valley people probably practiced some ancient form of
Jainism and that the Indus seal depicting a seated yogi was probably
the representation of a Jain Thirthankara rather than Lord Siva.
Parsvanatha, the 23rd Thirthankara, preceded Mahavira and gave his followers a definite identity as a distinct sect of dedicated ascetics. Before he renounced his princely life and became a monk, Vardhamana seems to have derived inspiration from this sect. According
to some historians Parsvanath was the real founder of Jainism. From
the Kalpasutra of Bbadrabahu, who lived during the period of
Chandragupta Maurya, we understand that Parsvanath was a Kshatriya,
who married Prabhavathi, daughter of king Naravarman and turned to
asceticism after living the life of a householder for 30 years. He
made Jainism popular among masses and enjoyed considerable following.
Among his followers were said to be 16000 sramanas or mendicants,
38,000 nuns, 164,000 men and 327,000 women as lay disciples. He lived
for a hundred years before his passing away on the mount Sammeta. He
probably lived some 200 years before Mahavira.
Parsvanath urged his followers to observe four vows, namely not to
injure life, not to lie, not to steal and not to own property. To
these four vows, Mahavira added the fifth, namely to observe chastity.
In his life time, Mahavira enjoyed the support of only a section of
the Jains. The rest continued to have their primary allegiance
to the teachings of Parsvanath. Mahavira's parents themselves were
said to be followers of Parsvanath. After Mahavira attained liberation and established
his Order, most of the followers of Parsvanatha joined him. However we have reasons to believe that this group
kept its separate identity and was responsible for the subsequent schism
resulting in the formation of Svetamabaras (white robed ascetics) and
Digambaras (naked ascetics), the former adhering to the teachings of
Parsvanath and the latter of Mahavira.
Historically, there is little doubt that Jainism existed much before Mahavira. The Yajurveda mentions the names of three Thirthankaras, namely Rishabha, Ajithanatha, and Aristanemi. The Bhagavatha Purana acknowledges Rishabhadeva as the founder of Jainism. The Buddhist texts refer to Mahavira as Niggantha
Nathaputta. According to the Jain legends, Rishabhanatha was the father of
Bharata, the first emperor of India, after whom the subcontinent of India
was named. A great churning of religious ideas and doctrines took place in
the post epic India and the most popular way these differences could be
resolved or confronted was not through wars or intolerance but through
debate and discussion. As a part of this tradition the followers of Jainism
held discussions with various religious groups.
Mahavira was born in a princely family which belonged to the
Jnatrika clan. His
original name was Vardhamana and his father's name was Siddhartha.
Siddhartha was married to Trishala, daughter of king Chetaka whose
other daughters were married into some prominent royal households of
his time including that of king Bimbisara. There is no unanimity among
historians about Mahavira's year of birth. According to Jain texts, he
married Yashoda and had a daughter through her. After his parents
died, he took permission of his brother and became an ascetic. He
wandered for twelve long years from place to place, performing severe
austerities and subjecting himself to rigorous discipline, before he
received enlightenment and became an Arhat, under a Sal tree, in the
vicinity of an old temple at a place called Jrimbhika grama. His
personal charm and teachings attracted considerable following from all
sections of society, especially in the urban areas where people were
expecting more convincing solutions to the philosophical issues concerning
death, aging and disease. It is believed that before his enlightenment
Mahavira spent some time in the company of Gosala, the founder of
Ajivkia sect, and the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, before parting
ways from both of them on account of doctrinal differences regarding
some important beliefs about fate and free will. According to the most
popular opinion based on historical accounts, he probably died in 468
BC.
Jainism did not arise as some kind of a reaction of the princely classes against the Brahmanical society or as a revolt against Brahmanism. It existed for long on the Indian soil as a distinct sect, with a set of beliefs and philosophy of its own. We
cannot say that the relationship between the followers of Hinduism and
Jainism was all that cordial. Jainism's unequivocal emphasis on the
non-existence of God made any possibility of reconciliation between
the two remote. Although a difficult religion to follow, with its
emphasis on karma and non-belief in the existence of God, Jainism
enjoyed a distinct following of its own in various parts of Indian
subcontinent, posing a stiff challenge to both Hinduism and Buddhism
for long. Chandragupta Maurya was a convert to Jainism in the last
part of his life. So were many kings and emperors in ancient India. In
a way it played a crucial role in the transformation of King Asoka,
who with an aim to expand his empire declared war against the mighty
Kharavelas of Orissa, who were ardent followers of Jainism. The
ensuing war between the two armies resulted in great bloodshed and
loss of life on both sides, prompting victorious Asoka in the end to
replace his policy of violent conquest with a new policy of peaceful
conquest by spreading his Dhamma or law of piety.
Jainism Vs Hinduism
Some how unlike Buddhism, Jainism never drew itself into some kind of confrontation with Hinduism or Brahmanism, though both religions differed fundamentally on almost every issue, from God to the concept of matter and karma.
It also did not undergo any radical change over time, nor its followers ever compromised with Hinduism or any other religion,
the way some sects of Buddhism suffered in the post Gupta period. The followers of Hinduism on their
part remained somewhat indifferent to Jainism, as it did not seriously
challenge their base nor posed a threat to their social order. They acknowledged the Buddha as a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, but largely ignored Vardhamana Mahavira
except by way of some reference to him in the Puranas as a preacher of
deluded doctrines. Besides, being a strict religion that admitted no
divergence between theory and practice, with its emphasis on self
mortification as the common method of liberation, Jainism offered no instant solace to the masses, unless they were willing to
commit themselves fully to the path and observe the principal vows strictly, which was not an easy task even for the strong willed. For
the orthodox elements of the Vedic world, Jainism was a diversion or
distraction created by God purposefully to mislead the sinners and the
deluded into a false dogma that failed to acknowledge God as the cause of
all creation.
Suggested Further Reading
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