Jainism, which is definitely older than Buddhism, originated some 800 years before the birth of Christ. Parsvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, but in reality the founder of this religion, belonged to Varanasi, India's most sacred city. It is exceedingly significant that the first genuine protest against the Brahmanical religion came from a person who hailed from the strongest citadel of that religion. The religious system, established by Parsva, gradually spread towards the east, and by the time, Lord Mahavira was born, became one of the dominating forces in the religious life of Eastern India. The Acaranga Sutra, which is one of the oldest Jain religious texts, informs us that even the parents of Mahavira, who lived near Vaisali in Northern Bihar, were followers of Parsva.
Lord Mahavira, who was a somewhat junior contemporary of Buddha (as we have shown in this work), made Jainism one of the the most popular religious systems of Northern India. For thirty years after his enlightenment, he spared no pains to make the Nirgrantha religion an all-India religious system. If we have to believe in the evidence of the Bhagavati, he personally preached even in Western India. His rival Buddha never went farther than the Kuru country. However, both these great Masters, it appears, spent the major part of their lives in modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Magadha and Kosala being the janapadas, receiving their maximum attention.
After Mahavira his devoted followers made every effort to carry the message of Parsva and Mahavira to millions of Indians living in different parts of this sub-continent. The immediate disciples of Mahavira were all Brahmins, but at a later stage some non-Brahmin disciples gradually made the Nirgrantha religion a thoroughly anti-Brahmanical religious system. Even the great Bhadrabahu, who was a native of Northern Bengal, was a Brahmin and the first genuine Jain philosopher viz. Umasvati, also belonged to that caste. However from the 1st century B.C., persons belonging to the business community started patronising this religion. The present author stroughly believes that it was this community, who were responsible for moulding it as an anti-Brahmanical religious system.
In the present volume we have outlined the history of this religion from the earliest times to 1000 A.D. In the next volume we will endeavour to cover the period between 1000 A. D. and 1500 A.D. This volume will also contain chapters on Jain Iconography and Philosophy.
Our work is mainly based on the original sources and the views expressed are entirely those of the Author. This is the first systematic historical study of Jainism, and it is hoped that this work will be generously received by the academic world. For the misprints, and other errors, the Author can only crave the indulgence of the readers.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist