Complications and ritualism in Hinduism
Vedic religion had become complex and degenerated into superstitions, dogmas, and rituals.
The sacrifices prescribed by the Vedas became complicated.
The Vedic mantras were complicated and went beyond the understanding of the common man.
The supremacy of the Brahmans created unrest. They no longer led a pure and holy life.
All the sacred Vedic texts were written in Sanskrit which was the language of the elite and not the masses.
The masses could connect with the new sects as Mahavira and Buddha spoke to them in their language
Jainism:
It is generally believed that the founder of Jainism was Mahavira. It is now recognized that Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara.
The sacred books of Jain tell us that their first Tirthankara was Rishab, the founder of Jainism. Rishab was followed by 23 Tirthankaras. The Vishnu Purana and Bhagavat Purana describe Rishab as an incarnation of Narayana.
His 4 main teachings were :
- Not to injure life
- Not to tell a lie
- Not to steal
- Not to possess the property
Varadhmana Mahavira:
Mahavira was born in the village Kundagrama in district Muzaffarpur in a Kshatriya family in 540BC.
He was a prince and related to Bimbisara, the ruler of Magadha.
He was married to Yasoda and had a daughter called Priyadarsana. He became ascetic after the death of his parents.
For 12 years he practiced extreme mortification.
During this period he fully subdued his sense. In the 13th year, he reached Nirvana under a Sal tree becoming a Jina and a Kevlin an omniscient at Jhrimbikagrama.
For the remaining 30 years, Mahavira moved from one place to another and preached his religion.
At the age of 72, he attained Kaivalya (death) at Pavapuri near Patna in 468 BC.
Doctrines of Jainism
Mahavira accepted most of the religious doctrines of Parsava and codified the unsystematic mass of beliefs into organized and rigid religion.
He rejected the authority of Vedas and the Vedic rituals.
He did not believe in the existence of God.
He believed in Karma and the transmigration of the soul.
Attainment of Nirvana or Moksha was the most important human desire. It could be attained through Triratnas:
1. Right faith (Samyak Vishwas)
2. Right knowledge (Samyak Jnana)
3. Right conduct (Samyak Karma)
Teachings of Jainism; Jainism taught five doctrines-
1. Non-injury
2. Non-lying
3. Non-stealing
4. Non-possession
5. Observe continence
It is said that only the 5 doctrines was added by Mahavira, the other four being taken over by him from previous teachers.
The Jaina philosophy shows a close affinity to the Hindu Samkhya philosophy.
They ignore the idea of God and accept that the world is full of sorrows and believe in the theory of karma and the transmigration of souls.
Sects of Jainism
Although Parsavanath, the predecessor of Mahavira had asked his follower to cover the upper and lower portions of their body, Mahavira asked them to discard clothes completely.
There were two sects:
Swetambaras (white-clad): They wore a white dresses. They were more liberal and supporters of change.
Digambaras (Sky-clad): They kept themselves naked. They were orthodox and rigid.
Spread of Jainism
To spread the Sects of Jainism, Mahavira organized an order of his followers that admitted both men and women.
Since Jainism did not clearly mark itself out from the Brahmanical religion it failed to attract the masses.
Despite this Jainism gradually spread into the south and west of India where the Brahmanical religion was weak.
Chandragupta Maurya spread Jainism in Karnataka.
Jainism spread to Kalinga in Orissa in the 4th century BC and in the 2nd century BC it enjoyed the patronage of King Kharvela.
In the south Jainism was patronized by royal dynasties such as Gangas, Kadambas,
Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas.
Jain Councils:
1 the st council was held at Pataliputra by Sthalabahuin at the beginning of the 3rd cent BC and resulted in the compilation of 12 Angas to replace the lost 14 Purves.
2 and Council was held at Valabhi in the 5th century AD under the leadership of Devaradhi Kshamasramana and resulted in the final re-compilation of 12 Angas and 12 Upangas
Contribution of Jainism to Indian culture
Jainism made the first serious attempt to mitigate the evils of the Varna order and the
ritualistic Vedic religion.
The Jain philosophy has certainly enriched Indian thought. The five vows ahimsa, Satya, Kaseya, aparigraha, and brahmacharya are relevant even today.
The adoption of Prakrit by the Jainas helped the growth of this language and its
literature.
The Jainas built Bhikshu grihas or cave dwellings for the residence of their monks.
Innumerable manuscripts in palm leaves were written down and some of them were painted with gold dust.
These have given rise to a new school of painting known as the Western Indian School.
