Part 1 - History of Jainism and Biography of Lord Mahavira

Jainism is considered as the eternal philosophy and one of the oldest religions. It existed long before the last tirthankara Lord Mahavira and his teachings were based on those of his predecessors. He thus was more of a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order than founder of any new faith. He recognised the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times.

Lord Mahavira is the twenty fourth and last tirthankara of this era of Jain religion, who is founder of current concepts and philosophy of Jainism. Lord Rsabhadeva or Adinatha was the first tirthankara of this group, who existed millions of years before. Among the most disturbed state of all religions and sacrifices in very violent form, Mahavira was born on 13^th day of the rising moon half of Caitra month in 599^B.C. at Kshatriyakunda (currently known as Kundalpura) in the state of Bihar, India. His father, King Siddhartha began to prosper ever since his wife, queen Trisala became pregnant. So, parents gave him name of “Vardhamana” means increasing. He was popularly known as Mahavira since he showed high degree of courage and fearlessness during his childhood. As he got matured and got married, he firmly realised that worldly happiness and pleasures do not last and based mainly on miseries and unhappiness of others. At the age of 30, he renounced the worldly life and became a monk. He spent initial twelve and half years in deep silence and meditation to conquer his desires, feeling and attachments. He observed severe austerities, fasting for most of the time, moving to places bare-footed and no clothes on. He also continued facing all types of hardships during this entire period of renounced life. He developed highest quality of love towards all living creatures.

With this progress in spirituality at the age of 42, he could destroy all types of karma and realized perfect perception, knowledge, power and total bliss attaining the ultimate state of knowledge known as kevalajnana (omniscience) in Jainism. Next thirty years, he travelled around the whole country, preaching the eternal truth realised by him to the people. Lord Mahavira is the founder of Jainism prevailing today. All his teachings are preserved in the form of fundamental scripture in Jainism called as Agamas.

Lord Mahavira organized his followers into four fold order namely:

1. sadhu or sramana (monk);
2. sadhvi or sramani (nun);
3. sravaka (layman) and
4. sravika (laywoman).

Together as a group, they are called as Jain Sangha, a big family or society. Sravaka or sravika is one who listens or who has recourse to faith or whose sins flow away from him^[1].

These sravakas are of four catagories as under:

1. namasravaka (by birth or default);
2. sthapanasravaka (statue of a layman);
3. dravyasravaka (carries out rites but devoid of spirituality) and
4. bhavasravaka, who is a true believer of Jain Philosophy.

Lord Mahavira made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. He said,

“A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul, which potentially has perfect perception (anantadarsana), perfect knowledge (anantajnana), perfect power (anantavirya) and perfect conduct (anantacaritra).”^[2]

His message reflects the freedom and spiritual joy of living being, preaching the gospel of universal love. He rejected the concept of God as a creator, a protector and a destroyer of the universe and denounced the worshipping of gods and goddesses as a means of material gains and personal benefits.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

R.Williams, Jaina Yoga -a survey of the Mediaeval Sravakacaras, Oxford University Press, London, 1963, p.36

[2]:

Jain Philosophy and Practice - 1, Jain Education Committee, North America, p. 18, 2002