History of Jaina Monachism

Author(s): S B Deo
Publisher: Deccan College Research Institute

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S. B. DEO
Evaluation of the Role of Mahāvīra :
From the account of his career as seen above, Mahāvīra appears more as a reformer than as the founder of a sect. "By the very nature of the case, tradition has preserved only those points of Pārsva's teachings which differed from the religion of Mahāvīra, while all other common points are ignored. The few differences that are known make Mahāvīra definitely a reformer of an existing faith, and the addition of a vow, the importance of nudity and a more systematic arrangement of its philosophical tenets may be credited to his reforming zeal". 126... ..."What he did was, in all likelihood, the codification of an unsystematic mass of beliefs into a set of rigid rules of conduct for monks and laymen. A decided inclination towards enumeration and classification may be attributed to him.”127
That he had a winning personality, an organisational skill, and the drive of a reformer can be seen from the several royal followers he could win over for the spread of his Church. Not only royal persons but even people of all classes joined his ranks. In this case it may be noted that his ganadharas (chief disciples) were all Brahmins.
Comparing his role with that of Buddha, JACOBI remarks, "Mahāvīra plays a part wholly different from that of Buddha in the histories of their Churches. His attainment to the highest knowledge cannot be compared to that of Buddha. The latter had to reject wrong beliefs and wrong practices before he found out the right belief and the right conduct. He seems to have carved out his own way,-a fact which is easily recognised in all Buddhist writings. But Mahāvīra went through the usual career of an ascetic; he seems never to have changed in opinion nor to have rejected religious practices, formerly adhered to. Only his knowledge increased as in the process of his penance the hindrances to the higher degrees of knowledge were destroyed until it became absolute. His doctrines are not spoken of in the Sūtras as his discoveries, but as decreta or old established truths (parṇatta)”. 128
JACOBI's remark seems to minimise the role of Mahāvīra. But it need not. For, it may be said that if one is on the right path in his search for the Absolute, one may have no necessity to discard wrong beliefs, etc. The test is whether Mahāvīra attained the Absolute or not. If he did, then how he did, is immaterial. And what type of this knowledge of the Absolute
126. Ibid., p. 412. 127. Ibid., p. 420. 128. 1.A., SX, p. 161.