On the
13th day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra Mahavir
Jayanti (birthday) is celebrated. Vardhaman Mahavir,
the 24th Tirthankar (guide), is the great hero of the
Jam religion. He lived from 540 to 468 B.C. Rishabhadeva,
the first Tirthankar, is believed to have been the founder
of the lain religion. Dr Radhakrishnan writes, “There
is no doubt that Jainism prevailed even before Vardhaman
or Parshvanath.” In the 12th century A.D. King Kumarapala
was won over to Jainism and made Gujarat a model Jam
state. Today the followers of the lain religion form
a community of more than one million and a half living
in India. |
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Mahavir is the “Jina” or “Conqueror”, under whose guidance
his devotees are encouraged to conquer the karma-rebirth
cycle, this being the goal of the lain religion. Mahavir
was a kshatriya prince (warrior caste) of North Bihar
in Northern India. At the age of 30 he became a wandering
ascetic. Thirteen years later he reached illumination.
His followers form four orders: monks (muni or sadhu),
nuns (sadhvi), laymen (shravaka) and lay-women (shravika).
Digambaras and Shvetambaras
Around the year 80 AD the Jains split into two sects:
Digambaras (space clothed) and Shvetambaras (clothed
in white). Digambaras hold that sadhus must be naked
as a sign of total renunciation. Other doctrines held
by the Digambaras but rejected by the Shvetambaras are
1. Only men can obtain final liberation (moksha), women
must be reborn as men. 2. The images of the Tirthankars
must be represented with downcast eyes, nude and unadorned.
3. Mahavir never married. 4. Once the highest stage
of knowledge is reached, a saint can sustain life without
eating, and 5. By the 2nd century AD the entire canon
of sacred books was lost.
Dash laxanparva
The holiest feast of the Jains is Dashlaxanparva, which
is celebrated by the Digambaras from the 5th to the
14th of the bright half of Bhadrapad. During these days
there is an atmosphere of joy in every lain temple.
Every day in the morning after taking bath all men and
women go to worship in the temple. Then each day there
is a lecture on each of the ten chapters of the holy
book “Shritatvarth Sutra”. These ten chapters dwell
on the following ten duties (dharma): 1. Kshama (forgiveness),
2. Mardava (humility), 3. Arjava (simplicity and frankness).
4. Shaucha (cleanliness), 5. Satya (truthfulness), 6.
Samyama (self-control), 7. Tap (austerity), 8. Tyag
(renunciation). 9. Akimchanya (detachment), and 10.
Bramhacharya (celibacy). On the day dedicated to “tyag”
gifts are offered to social service institutions, and
on the first day of the dark half of Ashvin, at the
end of the celebration, all the men come together and
embracing each other they ask pardon for the of-fences
committed during the past year.
The 14th day of the bright half of Bhadrapad is known
as Anant Chaturdashi (endless fourteenth). This is a
very important day for the Jains, this being the last
day of the Dashlaxanparva. According to Jam scriptures
one can gain much merit by observing a vow on this day.
The Jains of the Shvetambara sect celebrate the Paryushan
Feast, from the 12th of the dark half of Bhadrapad to
the 4th of the bright half of Ashvin.
Ahimsa and Karma
“Ahimsa” or non-hurting” of life is the main principle
of Jainism.
“Even unintentionally and the involuntary stepping on
an ant may have serious consequences for the soul...
Not only living things, but everything in nature must
be respectfully treated.”
“There is no place for God in Jainism, which has con-structed
a complicated theory of ‘karma’ and karmic mat-ter.
Karma is that general energy of the soul that causes
its attachment to matter and its subsequent defilement,
a kind of link between matter and spirit. All the effort
at liberation, therefore, must be directed to controlling
karma, and all by autonomous activity. Any mediation
of divine grace or forgiveness is rejected as evading
the problem of sin, suffering and redemption. Each person
must work out his own deliverance.” According to Jain
tradition the wheel of time in this visible world is
forever turning. The flow of time is without beginning
and without end.
Whatever may be said about the philosophy of Jainism,
it must be acknowledged that its practice to a large
extent seems to achieve results. |
