Jainism is a religion that flourished in 6th century India, founded by Mahavira. It preached a path to attain purity of the spirit and enlightenment through discipline and ahimsa (non-violence).

Vardhamana, who came to be known as Mahavira after he attained true knowledge, was born in Bihar and related to the members of the eminent dynasty of Magadha. He was considered the last Tirthankara among 24 Tirthankara, the first being Rishabh. At twenty years of age, he renounced worldly life and left home in search of truth. After rigorous practice of penance and deep meditation for thirteen years, Vardhamana attained Kevala Jnana or true knowledge on spiritual matters. His adherents came to be known as Jains. The Jainism history scriptures and texts, also known as agamas, contain the legendary accounts of Mahavira’s life and his teachings. After the death of Mahavira, due to dissent over his doctrines, the Jain community, in the later 300 B.C., split into two sects:  the Svetambara and the Digambaras.

Spread of Jainism

The 6th century India was a period of social and religious unrest. The old ritualistic Vedic tradition had become a strong factor for reformation. Besides the intellectual unrest, there were many social and economic inequalities existing during that period. People wanted a different kind of society and a new belief system. They started thinking critically about the ills and sorrows of life and their desire to remove these ills led to the establishment of numerous religious sects, of which Jainism was one of them. 

The following factors led to the growth of Jainism:

1. Simple language: Mahavira preached his teachings in Prakrit, which was then the language of the common people, instead of Sanskrit which the people did not understand.  His doctrines were simple which attracted many followers.

2. Organised religious order: Mahavira left behind a strong organised religious order of the Jain munis (sages) for the propagation of his doctrines. There were eleven disciples of Mahavira known as Ganadharas (heads of schools) among whom only Arya Sudharma survived Mahavira and went to become the first ‘Thera’ (chief preceptor) of the Jain order. Bhadrabahu was the sixth Thera who migrated to the south and preached Jainism. The missionary zeal of the Jain munis helped to spread Jainism all over the country. When Alexander invaded India, Jain munis were present on the banks of the Indus river.

3. Royal Patronage: Many kings patronised Jainism, such as Rashtrakuta or King Chalukya. It spread to Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, and many more states in India. The spread of Jainism in Karnataka is attributed to Chandragupta Maurya. The influence of the Jain religion in South India was due to the teachings of Bhadrabahu, the spiritual teacher of Chandragupta. At the beginning of the Cristian era, Mathura and Ujjain became seats of power from where Jainism flourished. The Kings’ patronage helped Jainism to procure a place in people’s minds.

4. Non-discriminatory treatment: Mahavira believed that all human beings are equal and was of the opinion that everyone has the right to attain ‘moksha’ by pursuing a life of purity. He preached that there should not be any discrimination on the basis of caste and even favoured the freedom of women and included them in the Jain Sangha (community). This helped Jainism gain popularity among people mistreated under the caste system.

Jain Agamas

It is believed that during ancient times, the sacred teachings of Jainism were transmitted through oral traditions. The original, unadulterated teachings of the Tirthankaras, which are now lost, are said to have been contained in 14 ancient Purva texts. Jain councils were held to systemize and preserve the sacred oral teachings. 

As per Jainism history, the first council was held at Pataliputra, present-day Patna, followed by the second councils held simultaneously at Mathura and Vallabhi. The last council was held at Vallabhi (Gujrat), without the participation of the Digambaras. In the first council, the Jain monks assembled to put together their sacred knowledge and compile the 11 Angas but failed to gather the last one, Ditthivada, the 12th Anga due to the absence of Bhadrabahu who had the knowledge of the fourteen Purvas. His refusal to participate led to the loss of the Purva knowledge. The Last council held at Vallabhi led to the codification of the Svetambara canon which is still preached.

The Svetambara canon comprises of 45 works: 12 Angas; 12 Upangas; 10 Prakīrṇakas; 6 Cheda-sutras; 2 Cūlikā-sutras; and 4 Mūla-sutras. These canons were mostly written in the Ardha-Magadhi Prakrit dialect.

The Digambara canon is written in Jaina Śaurasenī Prakrit and comprises two main texts, namely, Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama and Kaṣāya-prābhṛta, along with three commentaries on the main texts, and four Anuyogas.

Five vows of Jainism

Mahavira’s teachings emphasised the practice of ahimsa (non-violence). He recognized the importance of the life of all creatures, animals, and plants and advocated that no harm should be caused to any living creature. He laid down a code of conduct, called vows, for the monks and other adherents. There were a total of five vows of which only the fifth was added by Mahavira and the other four were preached as laid down by his predecessors. 

The five vows are:

1. Speaking the Truth (Satya)
2. The practice of non-violence (Ahimsa)
3. Non-stealing (Asateya)
4. No attachment to worldly objects (Aparigraha)
5. The practice of celibacy (Brahmacharya)

These vows are to be practised to avoid bad karma. For the attainment of moksha, one had to live a life of severe asceticism and practice extreme penance.

Conclusion

Jainism, founded by Mahavira, flourished in 6th century India. Due to the rigid caste system and other religious and economical unrest, people wanted a different kind of society and a new belief system. Jainism spread because of the simple language in which it was preached by Mahavira and later through the efforts of the Jain munis and patronage extended by the Kings. The equal treatment of all men and women, irrespective of their caste, helped Jainism gain popularity among people mistreated under the caste system.

According to Jainism history, during ancient times, the sacred teachings of Jainism were transmitted through oral traditions, later they were mainly compiled into the twelve Angas. Mahavira’s teachings emphasised the practice of ahimsa (non-violence). He also laid down a code of conduct, five vows, for the monks and other adherents to avoid bad karma.