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MAHĀVĪRA, THE GREAT PROPOUNDER OF JAINISM
A. L. Basham
Mahāvíra, the propounder of Jainism in its present form, produced a very important effect upon India and it is fitting that the 2500th Anniversary of his nirvāna should be commemorated throughout India and the world, out of respect for the memory of one of India's greatest teachers. Ever since, he propounded his religious movement, Jain scholars have contributed much to the general culture of India. The Jain Order has produced philosophers, logicians, grammarians, mathematicians, astronomers and scholars in many other fields, in large numbers all through its history. In order to maintain the moral standards of their lay members, the austere Jain monks have, in earlier days, made their mark on India as poets and story-tellers. Their monastic libraries preserve to this day many priceless manuscripts which otherwise would be lost.
The importance of Jainism, however, much exceeds its contribution to learning. It is and always has been essentially a religious movement, teaching, unlike most religions, not an intense devotion to God but an intense care for the life and welfare of all living beings. Despite the great contributions which it has made to learning, which I have mentioned above, its primary attention has always been fixed upon the things of the spirit. All the activities of the sincere Jain are directed to the ultimate goal of freeing his soul from the bondage of the world in order that he may enjoy the profound and eternal bliss of Nirvāṇa. The essential teaching of Mahāvīra was that the only way to achieve this was through what a great Christian theologian called “respect for life” and through the progressive development of the personality towards the abandonment of clinging to temporal things and a deeper and deeper concentration on the things which are eternal.
185 M.M.-24
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