Jainism The Cosmic Vision

SR No.: 034278
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Mahavir Foundation
Publication Year: 2008
Total Pages: 137
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 2 MB

Page 59

Jainism: The Cosmic Vision Kings waged constant wars for petty gains. Scriptures spread the false belief that to die fighting in such wars was the easiest path to salvation. Many women lost their husbands. Countless innocent children became orphans. Only a small group of persons had the access to right knowledge. Even the right to perform penances was restricted to a small group of people. Is knowledge necessary for the poor and lowly people? Only a certain class of people could read scriptures. Others were not allowed to even listen to them. If someone of the lower castes learnt scriptures secretly seating in a corner, molten lead was poured into his ears. The life of women was full of toil and drudgery. Woman was regarded as nothing more than a household commodity. She was not treated as an individual in her own rights. A beast of burden could easily escape, but a woman could not win freedom except through death. All the four classes treated each other with feelings of hostility and contempt. The high-born were conceited. The distress of the downtrodden and the untouchable knew no bounds. They had no roof over their heads. They suffered silently the ceaseless oppression of the high-born. Aggression was regarded as a sign of bravery and he, who sought friendship, was regarded as a coward. To bathe in the blood of one's enemies was regarded as the height of bravery. Man was groping in the dark. Nature groaned terribly. All living beings were in agony. As if in answer to this universal fright, Bhagwan Mahavira was born almost 2589 years ago. Light spread over the hellish scene of earth.
In that era, there were a large number of states in India. Some states were ruled by kings and some others were ruled by powerful groups of men. Vaishali, the capital of the state of
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Non-Violence : A Way of Life Videha, stood on the bank of the river Gandaki. This city had a number of suburbs. One of the suburbs was Kundagrama. King Siddhartha ruled over Kundagrama. He was a Kshatriya, but he believed in peace and in the ultimate truth. He followed the ahimsa, non-violent way of life of Tirthankara Shri Parshvanath, who had lived 200 years ago. One night queen Trishaladevi, the wife of King Siddhartha, had fourteen dreams. Having these dreams, the queen woke up. She related the dreams to King Siddhartha. The king called an assembly of the experts who knew the science of dreams and he asked them to expound the meanings of these dreams. The following are the portents of these fourteen great dreams,
The first dream of the saffron coloured lion suggested that the king's son would be matchless in fearlessness, bravery and generosity and that having destroyed passions, he would protect all living beings just as a lion, destroying all the mad elephants and protects the forest.
The second dream of the elephant with four tusks meant that his son would preach the fourfold religion. This fourfold religion pertains to the Shramana (the Jaina monk), the Shramani (the Jaina nun), the Shravaka (the Jaina layman) and the Shravika (the Jaina laywoman).
The third dream of the bullock implied that on this earth the chariot of religion had got stuck in the mud of irreligion, but the king's son would pull the chariot of religion out of the mud and thus propagate religion.
The fourth dream of Lakshmidevi (the goddess of Wealth) implied that having given alms all the year round, he would enjoy the endless splendour of the status of the Tirthankara.
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