Throw light on the life and teachings of Mahavira. महावीर के जीवन एवं शिक्षाओं पर प्रकाश डालिए। [UPPSC- 2017]

Ans:

• Vardhaman Mahavira, is regarded as the founder of Jainism. He was twenty-fourth and the last tirthankara of Jainism.
• Vardhamana Mahavira was born in 540 B.C in a village Kundagrama near Vaishali which is identical with Basarh in the district of Vaishali, in north Bihar  on the thirteenth day of the rising moon of Chaitra. ©selfstudyhistory.com
• His father Siddartha was the head of the Jnatrika clan (a Kshatriya clan) and his mother Trishala was the sister of the Lichchhavi chief Chetaka, whose daughter Chellana was wedded to Bimbisara.
  • Thus Mahavira’s family was connected with the royal family of Magadha.
• Mahavira was married to Yashoda, by whom he had a daughter, Annoja.
  • In the beginning, Mahavira led the life of a householder, but in the search for truth he abandoned his family at the age of 30 years and became an ascetic.
• For twelve long years, he wandered from place to place doing penance. In the 13th year, at the age of 42 he attained omniscience or the ‘supreme knowledge’ (Kaivalya) under a Sal tree near village Jrimbhikagrama, on the northern bank of the river Rijupalika in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. He was now
  • Kevalin (Omni­scient),
  • Jina (conqueror) and
  • Mahavira (the great hero).
• Through kaivalya he conquered misery and happiness.
• His followers were known as Jainas.
• He became the head of a sect called Nigranthas (free from fetters), known in later times as Jainas or followers of the Jina (conqueror).
• For the next 30 years he moved from place to place and preached his doctrines in Kosala, Magadha, Mithila, Champa etc.
  • He wandered for eight months in a year and spent the four months of the rainy season in some famous town of eastern India.
  • He often visited the courts of Bimbisara and Ajatasatru.
  • He died by self starvation (Sallekana) at Pava (near Rajagriha) at the age of seventy-two (468 B.C.).

Teachings of Mahavira

• Mahavira rejected the authority of the Vedas, the Vedic rituals and the Brahmin supremacy.
  • Jainism mainly aims at the attainment of freedom from worldly bonds. It is not necessary to use any ritual for acquiring such liberation.
  • It can be obtained through right knowledge, right faith and right conduct.
  • Jainism does not accept the authority of veda. So, it is a atheistic philosophy.
• Advocated an austere and simple life.
  • He advocated an austere and simple life with the ultimate aim to attain Kaivalya (nirvana or moksha).
  • Parshva had asked his followers to cover the upper and lower portions of their body, Mahavira asked them to discard clothes completely. This implies that Mahavira asked his followers to lead a more austere life.
  • On account of this in later times Jainism was divided into two sects: shvetambaras or those who put on white dress, and digambaras or those who keep themselves naked.
• Did not condemn the varna system, as Buddhism did.
  • According to Mahavira, a person is born in a high or in a lower varna in consequence of the sins or the virtues acquired by him in the previous birth.
  • However, Mahavira looks for human values even in a chandala. In his opinion through pure and meritorious life members of the lower castes can attain liberation.
• Mahavira recognised the existence of the God but placed them lower than the jina.
  • World not created, maintained and destroyed by a personal God but by a universal law.
• Mahavira regarded all objects, animate or inanimate, as endowed with various degrees of consciousness. They possess life and feel pain on the infliction of injuries.
• Believed in karma and the transmigration of soul.
  • The influx of Karma (Asrav) bonds soul by creating layers and overshadow it. It leads to cycle of birth and death
  • ‘Karma’ is result of evil thoughts and actions. Due to influx of karma the soul losses pure character.
  • By following five great vows, the flow of asrav on the soul can be stopped. This process is known as ‘Samvara’ (ending Asrav)
  • And to destroy the accumulated Asrav self-torment and self-mortification was to be practiced (i.e giving pain to your body).
    • i.e following five great vows to stop the flow of karma and practicing penance to destroy the accumulated Karma.
  • And when the layers of Karma over soul is totally destroyed, the soul is liberated and free. And the Kaivalya is achieved.
• Jainism believed that the main goal of human life is the purification of soul and attainment of nirvana (moksha), which means freedom from birth and death. This can be achieved not through rituals and sacrifices but by pursuance of triratna and panchamahavrata.
  • Triratna or three jewels are right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct, which can lead to liberation.
  • Right conduct means observance of panchamahavrata (five great vows):
    • ahimsa (do not commit violence),
    • satya vachana (do not speak a lie),
    • asteya (do not steal),
    • brahmacharya (do not indulge in sexual act) and
    • aprigraha (do not acquire property).
• To attain Nirvana, a man must abandon all trammels, including his clothes. Only by a long course of fasting, self-mortification, study and meditation, can he rid himself of Karma. Hence a monastic life is essential for salvation.
• Householders were expected to observe milder form of the practice of these virtues called anuvrata (small vows) in comparison to the monks.
• So, one can notice that while the Brahmanism was a ritual oriented religion this new faith was conduct-oriented.
• Four main forms of existence:
  • Jaina doctrine recognizes four main forms of existence—
    • gods (deva),
    • humans (manushya),
    • hell beings (naraki), and
    • animals and plants (tiryancha).
• Jaina philosophy is that of dualism.
  • It believes that human personality is formed of two elements:
    • Jiva (soul)
    • Ajiva (matter).
  • While Ajiva is destructible, Jiva is indestructible and the salvation of an individual is possible through progress of Jiva.
  • Both the Jivas and Ajivas have been existing eternally.
• Focus on extreme non-violence.
  • The Jainas lay great emphasis on Ahimsa (non-violence), both in theory and practice.
  • Jainisn prohibited the practice of war and even agriculture for its followers because both involve the killing of living beings.
  • Eventually the Jainas mainly confined themselves to trade and mercantile activities.
• One of the most distinguishing feature of Jainism was the concept of anekantavada or syadavada.
  • It means that the truth can be viewed from aneka or various angels. The reality has an infinite number of as­pects and attributes. ©selfstudyhistory.com