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Chapter Two MAHĀVĪRA : A NON-VIOLENT
REVOLUTIONARY
Prof. K. C. Jaina observed, “For Mahā vīra distinctions of caste, creed or sex did not matter. According to him, salvation is the birth-right of everyone, and it is assured if one follows the prescribed rule of conduct. His doctrine of Karma made the individual conscious of his responsibility for all actions. It also awakened the consciousness that salvation was not a gift or favour but an attainment within the reach of human beings.”1
The world has witnessed many revolutions - political, social and economic but rarely there was a revolution, utterly silent and totally non-violent. The great revolutionaries like Mahavīra, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Zarathustra and Lao-tse, heralded silent, peaceful and non-violent revolutions in their contemporary societies,
In the long history of mankind, the period, corresponding to 6th - 7th century B. C. is marked by great intellectual cum spiritual fervour throughout the world. It was during this period that the world witnessed the emergence of early Greek philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Empidocles and Heraclitus in the West and thinkers like Zarathrustra, Lao-tse, Mahāvīra and Gautama Buddha in the East. Transfer of Embryo
This great soul of Mahavīra was born in sixth century B. C. Some scholars accept 526 B. C. as the year of his birth while to some it was 599 B, C. Born in Kaśyapa Gotra of Jñāts clan of Ksatriyas, he was also known as 'Nataputta'. 1. Prof. Jaina, K, C. : Mahavira and His Times, p. 89.
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