Jainism: An Overview

• Jainism is one of the oldest ancient Indian religions. According to some traditions, it is believed that Jainism is as old as the Vedic religion
• The name Jainism has been derived from the Sanskrit verb ji, which implies ‘to conquer’. It represents the ascetic battle that Jain renunciants are believed to fight against that passion and bodily senses so that they can achieve enlightenment, omniscience, and pure soul
• Jainism is an ancient Indian religion that believes in self-help. This particular religion didn’t believe in gods or spiritual beings helping human beings
• As per scholars or religion, Jainism originally emerged in the Ganges basin of eastern India in the 7th-5th century BCE
• Jainism further has a succession of great teachers or Tirthankaras, and there were a total of 24 Tirthankaras
• The first Tirthankara was Rishabhanath or Rishabhadev, and the 24th Tirthankara was Vardhaman Mahavira
• All 24 Tirthankara were Kshatriyas.

Vardhaman Mahavira: Founder of Jainism

• The last Tirthankara (a great teacher), Vardhamana Mahavira, is considered to have propounded Jainism
• He was born in Kundagrama, a village near the ancient city of Vaisali. His father was Siddhartha, the head of a Kshatriya clan (Jnatrikas), and his mother, Trishala, was the sister of the Vaishali ruler. He was born in a highly aristocratic family of wealth and fame
• Yasoda was Mahavira’s wife, and they both had a daughter named Anojja or Priyadarshan
• It was at the age of 30 that Mahavira renounced his home and became a wandering ascetic
• He attained the highest spiritual knowledge, referred to as Kevala Jnana, after 13 years of penance. The place where he attained this was under a sal tree aged 42 planted in a village named Jrimbhikagrama. It was after this that Vardhaman was called by different names like Jina, Mahavira, Nigrantha, Kevalin, and Jitendriya
• His main responsibility was to spread Jainism across all parts of the country
• The Vedic principles were rejected by Mahavira, who didn’t believe that God existed. Rather he used to believe in Karma. It is because of an individual’s karma that he is either rewarded or punished
• For 30 years, he preached his teachings and died at the age of 72 at Pava near Rajagriha

Rise and Spread of Jainism

It was during the lifetime of Mahavira and also after his death that Jainism was spread in different parts of India.

• It was Mahavira who established an organization of his disciples, which included both men and women, for the purpose of disseminating the teachings of Jainism
• Jainas used the Pali and Prakrit language to communicate their doctrines and ideologies and thus, were more accessible to the masses compared to the Brahmana-favored Sanskrit language
• Around 200 years after the death of Mahavira, a catastrophic famine took place in Magadha, which lasted for 12 years. This famine prompted Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu to migrate to Karnataka, and thus, Jainism spread to southern parts of India after that
• Jainism spread to Kalinga in Odisha in the 4th century BCE and was supported by the King Kharavela of Kalinga
• Jainism spread in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu, India, in the 1st and 2bd centuries BCE
• Jainism reached Rajasthan, Malwa, and Gujarat in the following years

Teachings of Jainism

• The Vedic principles were rejected by Mahavira, and he didn’t believe in the existence of God. Instead, Jainism is the religion of self-help
• Jainism believes in Karma, and that body is different from the soul. Mahavira communicated that individuals are punished or rewarded according to their karma. Also, the body of a human being dies, but the soul exists
• Mahavira stressed equality, but the caste system was never firmly rejected by him
• He always used to preach non-violence or ahimsa
• According to Jainism, there are two elements of the world: Jiva (conscious) and Atma (unconscious)

The three jewels of Jainism constituted the basis of Jain’s doctrine and ethical stance. And these three jewels included

1. Right faith: The right faith leads an individual to calmness, kindness, and the renunciation of the pride of wealth, beauty, powers, birth, and fame.
2. Right knowledge: Right conduct without the right knowledge is considered futile. It is vital to distinguish between the self and non-self clearly.
3. Right conduct: Right conduct leads an individual on the path of ahimsa, satya, asteya, parigraha, and brahmacharya.

Jainism: Jain Councils

First Council

• It is Pataliputra in the 3rd century BC where and when the first Jain Council was held
• The first Jain council was headed by Sthulabahu

Second Council

• It is Vallabhi in Gujarat in 512 AD where and when the second Jain Council was held
• 12 Angas were compiled in the second council

Conclusion

Jainism is one of the oldest ancient religions practising self-help. This particular religion states that all events taking place in the universe are self-caused and are independent of previous events or God. Jainism is considered the oldest philosophy of the country that differentiates the body from the soul completely. The Jain tradition has a succession of 24 great Tirthankars, and Vardhman Mahavira is considered the last Tirthankara. To know more about Jainism, it is recommended to go through the above-mentioned article.

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