ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 80

become the first t rtha kara establishing the four fold congregation and teaching his followers how to attain liberation. While designing the society, its norms and constituents, he had the welfare of all as the topmost concern in his mind. Being the first in all walks of life he is called as din th also. Listed below are some of the innovative social reforms he is credited with.
2.1 Establishing a social order He explained to all the people who came to him for guidance that their physical endurances as well as of the wish fulfilling tress are decreasing. So you have to change your lifestyle and think of living in houses (rather than forests) collectively so that you can help each other and face the problems united. Concepts of family, coexistence, co-operation, tolerance, brotherhood /fraternity etc were extremely importance for survival. The first locality (which became his capital city also) established was called Vinita which later on became popular as Ayodhy. He then made different groupings of such primary localities as villages and then their classification as towns / cities and grouping them as states (collection of towns) with separating and defending boundaries and chiefs of each grouping to administer them. Thus the role of a king, council of ministers, security systems, heads of villages / towns and cities were established for administration.
Work culture and division of the society into sub groups (castes): The days of enjoyment without work and just because of nature's bounty or divine grace are over. He said that from now onwards you have to work to get your food, shelter, protection etc. He asked the people to choose anyone of the six types of work namely asi, masi, krşi, vidhyā, vāņijya and Silpa These six types of works were grouped as Kşatriya, Brāhmaṇa, Vaisya and Sudra varnas (castes). The grouping as Brāhmaṇas is credited to his son Bharat, the first emperor /monarch. He also established the rules of work, of staying within their limits and not to cause problems to others.
asi is to serve with arms i.e. defence /police forces; masi is to serve by writing and maintaining accounts; kşşi is to till the land and grow food; vidhyā is acquire textual knowledge and impart that to others; vānijya is trade /commerce and silpa is use of physical capabilities like serving others, arts and crafts etc. (Adi Purāņa 16/363)
Institution of family: To avoid conflicts concerning rights and duties, inheritance and sex related and other marriage issues, he established the concept of brother, sister, husband and wife, parents etc. He told that marriage between a boy and girl of the same parents cannot take place and thus bringing an end to the era of twins and assigning the right for living together and transfer of inheritance etc.
He established the penal code consisting of four classes namely: oral punishment i.e. reprimand in angry tone; detention is town for a specified time period, detention in a jail for a definite time and lastly to impart physical punishment like beating/making the offender physically hurt.
He was thus called Pr japati and his coronation as the first king took place.
2.0 Education and training of his subjects:
abha knew that the people have to be taught for making the changes introduced by him effective and hence established the importance of education and training. Accordingly he taught his eldest son Bharat seventy two arts, his second son Bāhubali martial arts and other similar arts, his eldest daughter Brāhmi eighteen scripts and to younger daughter Sundari the mathematics. Both the daughters were also taught the arts of music, dance, make up etc. Similarly he taught other arts and crafts to his other ninety eight sons. His children, then, started teaching their skills to others' thereby spreading the knowledge, skills etc to the common people. This way he institutionalized the imparting of education and skills to masses.
Through these education programmes, the people came to know of the use of fire to cook etc, making pots, tools and implements for farming, defence etc, making cloth, skills of barbers, eating the food after proper treatment of food (like cleaning, peeling the skins, cooking etc) to stay healthy.
3.0
Self improvement and realization
After bringing a social order and seeing his subjects happily settled as a society and enjoy prosperity, he realized that such prosperity will cause further problems of greed, discontent and associated pains. Being endowed with clairvoyant knowledge, he knew of his past lives and associated pains and pleasures of transmigration. He now started looking at his own self realization as the highest goal. He therefore renounced his kingship after anointing his eldest son Bharat as the king of major part of his kingdom, Bahubali as king of a different part of
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