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144 :: Aspects of Jaina Religion
other arrangements for the perpetuations of his social order. Obviously, the Jaina Achāryas, thinkers and perceptors continued to advocate this new social policy. Thus the Jainas made remarkable contributions in the social field, and the significance of Jainism, from a social point of view, lies in these contributions which are briefly outlined here.
1. Establishment of Social Equality
The most significant contribution of Jainism in the social field was the establishment of social equality among the four varnas, i.e., classes, prevalent in the society. Tīrthankara Mahāvīra succeeded in organising his large number of followers into a compact social order quite distinct from that of the Brāhmaṇic social order of his time.
The Vedic society was composed of four classes, viz., Brāhamana, Rājanya (i.e., Ksatriya), Vaisya and Sūdra. They were said to have come from the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the feet of the Creator, Brahman. The particular limbs ascribed as the origins of these divisions and the order in which they were mentioned indicated their status in the society of the time. The fact that the four classes were described as of divine origin could be taken as sufficient indication that they were of long duration and also very well defined. Not only the four classes were distinct and separate, but they were also later on affected by the spirit of rivalry among themselves. Even in the early Rgvedic times the Brāhmaṇical profession had begun to set up claims of superiority or sacredness for itself and accordingly we find that different rules were prescribed for different classes. Obviously the preprogatives of the sacerdotal class created cleavages in the society. The Kșatriyas were assigned a position next to Brāhmaṇas and Vaisyas and Sūdras were comparatively neglected. Thus the society at that time was completely class-ridden in the sense that unusual importance was given to the Brāhmin class to the detriment of other classes and that nobody was allowed to change his class which he had got on the basis of his birth in that class.
