Buddhism and Jainism, two of the oldest religions of India,
had their prime time in ancient India. During the days of Asoka we are told
that he sent missionaries to Lanka for the propagation of Buddhism! He was
sorry for the terrible killings during the Kalinga war which converted him into
a Buddhist. Jainism too had its sway in India for a short while and slowly it
lost its hold on the majority of the people in the country. What is the reason
for the decline of Buddhism and Jainism in India? It is because of the rise of
Brahmanism and a revival of the teachings of the Vedas and the Upanishads
spearheaded by the three acharyas, Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhwa. These three
were the pillars of the period and rejected the principles of Buddhism and
established the primacy of the Brahman and the theory of the indestructible
Soul. The Bhakthi movement in the North led by great saints and the movement of
the Azwars and Nayanmars gave a death blow to Buddhism and jainism .
Vardhamana
Mahavira, the embodiment of compassion for every living being, has great
relevance today in a world plagued by
terrorism, violence, envy, fraud, intolerance
and every kind of misery. He was the24th and last jain Tirthankara. He
is considered as the founder of Jainism but the Jain tradition recognizes his
predecessors. His date of Birth is either 599BC or480 BC. His dynasty is said
to be that of Ikshvaku—that of Sri Rama of the Ramayana. Born to the couple,
Siddharta( father) and Trishala (mother) in Vaishali on Chaitra suddha
trayodasi, he left his home at the age
of 30 in search of spiritual awakening. Like the great Gautama Buddha who left
his home in search of peace, Mahavira abandonrd all worldly attachments
including clothes and became a jain monk. Spiritual sadhana cannot be attained
by magic and Mahavira involved himself
in severe meditation and intense penance
for twelve and half years after which he became “ KEVALI”----Omniscient.
This did
not satisfy Mahavira. He had to spread his message all over the world. The next
30years were spent in spreading the message of Jain philosophy throughout South
Asia. The teachings of Mahivira are
centered on the observance of the vows ahimsa (non injury), satya (truth)
astheya ( non thieving), Brahmacharya (chastity) and Aparigraha (non
attachment). These qualities are sinequo non for the elevation of the quality
of life. Jain Agamas were compiled by his chief disciple Gautama Swami but most
of them are not available today. It is believed that Mahavira attained moksha--- liberation from
the cycle of birth and death at the age of 72.
He was called Mahavira because of the acts of bravery he performed
during his childhood. He was awarded the title ‘ JINA’ – the victor or
conqueror of inner enemies such as attachment, pride, and greed.
Mahavira’s philosophy has eight cardinal, three metaphysical ( dravya,
jiva,and ajiva) and five ethical principles. The objective of Mahavira is to ennoble
the quality of life. According to Mahavira ‘an individual or society should
exercise self restraint to achieve social peace, security and an enlightened
society.’ A few quotes from Mahavira: “Every soul is independent. None depends on
another. Have compassion on all living beings. Hatred
leads to destruction. Do not injure,abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature, or
living being. Fight with yourself, why fight with external foes? He who
conquers himself through himself will obtain happiness. A man is seated on top
of a tree in the midst of a burning forest. He sees all living beings perish.
But he does not realize that the same fate is soon to overtake him also. That
man is a fool. Mahavir’s great message to mankind was that birth is
nothing, that caste is nothing, and that Karma is everything and on the
destruction of karma future happiness depends!!This is in striking resemblance
to the Karma theory of Hinduism! It is
only after man exhausts the experiences of his Karma in the past he gets
emancipation or mukti! Let us remember
the teachings of Mahavira and try to
follow at least a fraction of them for our salvation!!
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