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CHAPTER I
CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS TEACHERS
During the days of Bhagavân Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, clashes between the sramanas and the brāhmanas had become a glaring featu. e. Even the śramanas were divided into many groups. We have it on the authority of the Agamas as well as the Tripițakas that the śramanas not only fought with the bra uniaxas, they also fought among themselves.
In the Tripitakas
At several places in the Tripițakas, there are
ions about seven Jinas who were Pūraņa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosala, Ajita Kesaka mbali, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Samja ya Veltthiputta, Nigantha Nátha putta and Gautama Buddha. We have an account of these seven in the Samana - phala Sutta of
Nikāya. Dharmananda Kosambi has summarised these accounts as follows (1):
1.
Pūrņa Käs yapa: akriyā-vadi
Pūra na Kassapa was the supporter of akriyavāda (which i mplied that no activity was a sin). Said he,
"If some one does something or gets it done, cuts something or gets its cut, tortures himself or induces others to cause grief, causes pain himself or induces others to cause pain, himself generates fear and makes others to generate fear, kills living beings, steals, breaks into a house, robs, attacks the same house again and again, indulges in sinful acts, rapes another's wife, speaks untruth, even then he commits no sin. There is nothing wrong in these. If someone beats others on the south bank of the Gangā, cuts himself or induces others to cut, causes pain himself or induces others to cause pain, he absolutely commits no sin. If, on the north bank of the Ganga, somebody distributes alms or induces others to dis
