Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India

SR No.: 006725
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Pranabananda Jash
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi
Publication Year: 1989
Total Pages: 170
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

Page 24

Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India
from the celestial phenomena, prognostications by interpretation of dreams, auguries drawn from marks on cloth gnawed by mice, sacrifices to Agni, it is characteristic to find these in such company -oblations of various sorts to gods, determining lucky sites, repeating charms, laying ghosts, spake charming, using similar arts on other beasts and birds, astrology, the power of prophecy, incantations, oracles, consulting gods through a girl possessed or by means of mirrors, worshipping the Great One invoking Siri (the goddess of luck), vowing vows to gods, muttering charms to cause virility or impotence, consecrating sites, and more of the same kind."25 Buddha vehemently opposed these practices. And that such practices are forbidden to members of his order is emphasized in a number of places. “You are not, O bhikkhus, to learn or to teach the low arts of divination, spells, omens, astrology, sacrifices to gods, witchcraft and quackery, the Buddha is reputed to have charged the members of the Order '26 In another place, while giving answer to the question of how a member of the Buddhist order is to achieve perfection and be entirely unattached to any worldly thing, the Buddha lists the many requirements; one of these is as follows ---"Let him not use Atharva Vedic spells, nor things foretell from dreams or signs or stars; let not my follower predict from cries, cure barrenness, nor practise quackery."27 To the Jaina followers these practices were unacceptable too.
Thus we find that people had faith in magic rituals and mystic utterances. The Vedic gods-Indra, Agni, etc. were still worshipped. But side by side the worship of VỊkșa devatā (tree deity), Yakşas, Nāgas and Asuras was also fairly popular. At that time there was also widespread belief in numerous evil spirits, ogres, goblins and the like. These were thought of as acting capriciously and at random, and mostly in ways that were inimical to human welfare.
Thus from the religious perspective the entire social structure can be identified with the three major areas first, there was the sacrificial cult of the hereditary priestly class, the Brāhmaṇas; secondly, there was the vast range of popular cults and beliefs of the ordinary people, mostly villagers, who constituted the majority of the population; and thirdly, there was the variety of ideas and practices expounded by various eminent religious teachers, both Brāhmaṇical and non-Brāhmaṇical, who were known Sramaņas, the forerunner of the organized Parivrăjaka sects, propagating collectively differ