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Significance of Jainism :: 147
Mahāvīra made people independent of the priestly domination, created a feeling of self-reliance and appealed to the common masses. Thus Tīrthankara Mahāvīra's opposition was to the priestly class of Brāhmaṇas and to the several tactics employed by them for the exploitation of the common masses by managing to keep the masses virtually ignorant and entirely dependent on the favours of the priests. This strong opposition considerably reduced the influence and domination wielded by the priestly class over the other people.
But it is significant that the opposition of Tirthankara Mahāvīra was confined to the priestly class of the Brāhmaṇas and not to the Brāhmaṇa varņa as such. In fact, Tirthankara Mahāvira always appreciated the intellectual capacities of the Brāhmaṇas, initiated many learned Brāhmaṇas to Jaina religion, admitted several scholars from among the Brāhmanas to his ascetic order and even appointed Indrabhūti Gautama, the most learned Brāhmaṇa teacher, as his first Gañadhara, i.e., the apostle or the chief disciple. In this connection it may be mentioned that Tīrthankara Mahāvīra delivered his first upadesa, i.e., sermon, after 66 days of attainment of omniscience, and that too only when he got the collaboration of the most talented Brāhmaṇa teacher, viz., Indrabhūti Gautama, for the proper interpretation of his preachings to the people. In this way Tīrthankara Mahāvīra always showed regard to the learning and education of the Brāhmaṇas but invariably led a strong and consistent attack against the priestly domination of the Brāhmaṇas.
3. Religious Emancipation of Women
Another contribution of a distinctive nature made by Tīrthankara Mahāvira and Jaina Āchāryas in the social field was in the direction of raising the status of women. In the latter part of the Vedic period women had practically been reduced to the status of Sūdras. Like the Sūdras, women were debarred from the right of initiation and investment with the sacred thread. They were considered to have no business with the sacred religious texts. In many passages
