Jain Journal 1974 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 11

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third Kala, a line of Great Men commenced who are known as the Kulakaras. Fourteen of them appeared one after the other. The first of the Kulakaras explained to man the motions and significance of the Sun and the Moon which became visible owing to the thinning of the Kalpavṛkşa trees. Further thinning of the Kalpavṛkşa forests made the stars visible and the second Kulakara taught man the motion of the stars.
JAIN JOURNAL
The attitude of wild animals towards men began to change with the time, although so far they had lived on terms of friendship. The third Kulakara therefore taught men to keep away from wild beasts. The fourth Kulakara improved on this by teaching the use of missiles and the club in self-defence. Owing to the thinning of Kalpavṛkşa forests the available food was reduced and the fifth Kulakara discovered some more trees bearing edible fruits. Inspite of all this, competition for possession of fruit bearing trees began, and the sixth Kulakara divided the plots available among men, thus originating the idea of property. The seventh Kulakara taught men how to domesticate the horse, the elephant and the cow.
Children born to man began to live during the life of the parents; and the eighth and the ninth Kulakara taught men how to nurse their children. The tenth Kulakara taught children to respect and obey their parents. The eleventh Kulakara introduced the system of marriage thus laying the foundation of family life.
By this time clouds, thunder, lightning and rain all attracted attention and the twelfth Kulakara taught men how to construct houses for shelter. The thirteenth Kulakara treated a group of families as a separate unit which introduced the clan system. He also grouped houses to form villages. Dispute began over the property among clans; the fourteenth Kulakara therefore assumed the powers of a king to settle disputes and thus founded the State.
The movement thus initiated culminated fully in Rsabhadeva, the son of the last Kulakara who taught the various arts and crafts including agriculture, construction of arms, towns, and cities, etc. According to Jaina tradition it was this Rsabhadeva who founded Jainism. He was the first of the line of 24 Tirthankaras, great teachers of religion, of whom Mahavira was the last.
Rsabha was born at the beginning of the fourth Kala which is one of progress in religious thoughts. After that, in the fifth and the sixth, religion decays. On the completion of the sixth Kāla, the order reverses