Bhagvana Mahavira

Author(s): Tulsi Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 12

Bhagavān Mahāvīra
leaders of these organizations were known as tirthankaras. There were several sects of the Vedic tradition also. The Rșis of the Vedic tradition were theists, while the sages of the Upanişads professed the philosophy of the Brahman. Some of the Sramana Ācāryas were also theists. But most of them professed the philosophy of the nirvāṇa and the Atman (liberation and the self).
All the religious teachers were seriously engaged in resolving the profound mysteries of the universe. While some of them tried to comprehend Truth through meditation and ascetic practices, others attempted to do so through worship and spells. Those who worshipped Sakti (Cosmic Power) and practised charms looked upon all violence committed for the propitiation of the gods as proper and legitimate and performed animal sacrifice. Rituals (yajñas) were performed to secure heaven. It was believed that the ritual of bathing in water lead to self-purification. On the basis of the doctrine that the mortification of the body lead to liberation, many an ascetic performed penances by beating their bodies with the aggregate of five fires burnt around their bodies under the scorching heat of the sun. Some of the ascetics went to the extent of lying down on the sharp edges of iron nails.
It was a predominantly religious' age. The kings and their subjects believed in the life of the spirit. The status of religion was higher than that of the state. But there were also those who repudiated religion, though they were in a negligible minority. However, they did not command respect in the society. That is why religion and those who practised it came to acquire considerable prestige. The number of ascetics in all the sects was fairly large. Thousands of monks were seen wandering in groups from village to village. They belonged to diverse sects and sub-sects, and met and engaged each other in metaphysical discussions to understand each other's view-point.
The votaries of Sakti did not look upon the subduing of