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Jainism
system. This experiment created and perpetuated the atmosphere of suspicion all around.
Revolution in the domain of Religion
The relevance of religion and its practices consisted in those days in the belief that they could procure more happiness and of a higher quality than what was available, in this world and hereafter.
Among the means of religion, sacrifice was the main. In the sacrifices, excessive injury to living beings (Himsā) was perpetrated along with recitation of the Vedic sacred formulae. It was natural that the vernaculars such as Prākrit etc. were looked down with contempt as the Vedic mantras were composed in Sanskrit. The sages were the poets who composed the mystical formulae in a poetical form. Nature which provided the means of happiness has been eulogized therein. The sages have sung in praises of various gods and deities and also have given vent to feelings of hope and despairs. These mantras by the sages have provided the basis of sacrifice. On account of this, there is no accommodation given to such things as the emancipation, Nirvāna, extreme bliss, or to the theory of cutting short the cycle of births etc. Endeavour to achieve Dharma, Artha (wealth) and Kāma (Passion) formed the centre of all the religious activities.
Regular opposition to all the things mentioned before had started before the advent of Mahāvira even. We get glimpses of this in Āranyakas and earlier Upanişads. But the revolution which Mahāvira made and the success he got are extraordinary, to say the least. It is because of this that his name dances on the tip of the longues of millions and crores of people.
Short biographical Sketch Mahāvira was born in Ksatriya kundapura--the present day Basāda, a few miles away from Patna. The name of his father was Siddhartha and that of his mother, Trisalā. His father belonged to the kşatriya clan called Jõātr. He must have been an influential man in his days as his wife Trisala happened to be the sister of Cetaka, the lord of Vaisāli. Because of this relationship of his, he had also the close relationship with the kings of Magadha, Vatsa and Avanti as all the daughters of Cetaka were give in marriage to those kings. One daughter of Cetaka was married to Nandivardhan also, the elder brother of Mahāvira. It is just possible that on account of these various relationships Mahavira got some special convenience and success in the propagation of religion.
The original name given to Mahāvīra by his parents was Vardhamāna. This was because his birth was known to be the cause of all-round prosperity
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