Mahavira and Early Jainism

Lesson 11 of 13 • 6 upvotes • 7:07mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

Like Buddha, Mahavira was also a great preacher. He is considered the 24th Tirthankar by the Jain community. He was a contemporary of Buddha, but scholars are divided whether he should be placed before or after the Buddha. Mahavira started a new religion Jainism. He had his own story, just like Buddha, but is less commonly depicted than that of Buddha. So we will take a glance at his early life, attainment of Kaivalya and life after that. We will also discuss his basic teachings along with his initial disciples and some important events. This whole is known as the ‘History of Early Jainism’, i.e. Jainism as it existed before the Mauryan Period. Some events of early Jainism will have to be detailed in the next Part, i.e. Mauryan Period, only because there are certain difficulties in placement of those events. So while going through the lesson, you will understand what these difficulties are.