Jain Journal 2001 07

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

Page 36

RELEVANCE OF JAIN PRINCIPLES OF MAHĀVĪRA
IN MODERN CONTEXT
DR. BINOD KUMAR TIWARY
During the 6th century B.C., India witnessed a very important socio-religious movement and in that very background, it got the honour of producing two great progressive spiritual leaders-Tirthankara Mahāvīra and Gautama the Buddha. They left their palaces at a very young age, performed severe tapas, got supreme knowledge and devoted their whole lives in the service and welfare of mankind. They travelled and spread their religio-ethical and moral preachings throughout the country and succeeded in giving a new and rational light to the society. Their teachings were taken as the guidelines by the then people and those are even no less important for the present society and culture.
Tirthankara Mahāvīra was not the founder or originator of the faith of Jainism, but only a crusader of the existing one held by a series of twentyfour Tirthankaras. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly he, who put the teachings of Jainism on a solid footings and systematised and crystalised them as an independent school of thought. He added much to it and gave sociological, philosophic and scientific justifications for the rules of conduct propounded by his predecessors. Before and during the time of his advent, the whole of society was plunged in corruption, selfishness, economic unequality, exploitation, immorality and casteism. While in one hand, a particular class of society was considered as untouchable, on the other, the women were taken to be a thing of exploitation and entertainment and thus, all traditions of humanity and compassion had been forgotten. The society was deteriorating very fast and no ethical or religious force could become so strong to have a control on it. In such a crucial time, we find the advent of Tirthankara Mahāvīra, the last Jina teacher of the series, who took the great task and did what could be possible not only to make the society an ideal one, but to purify the soul of each and every member of it internally as well. He introduced such changes in the existing Jain religion in order to meet the needs of the time. He organised religious conferences called samavasarana and delivered his sermons in the prevalent language of the common men of his time, which has been termed as Ardhamagadhi or Magadhi. He was such an ideal personality that he did not preach to others what he