Jainism and Mahavira

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Digambar Jain Sahitya Sanskriti Sanskaran Samiti

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a thing as this". This was enough to curb the offences to set right the way for the future. The remaining Kularakaras added "Dhik" to the existing code of penalties to express their abhorrence of the evil deed. The regular laws were laid down by Tirthankara Rsabhadeva and his son Bharata.“
The human civilization has been divided into three parts, viz. paleolithic, Mesolithic and neolithic. Human beings got real entry into civilization in the third Neolithic age which may be namedKulakara or Utsarpini period in the light of Jaina tradition. Accordingly, the Fourth age is supposed to be the best in which the Tirthankaras and other Great personages take birth and enlighten the human beings for their spiritual development. We are at present living in the Fifth age of the Avasarpini which commenced a few years after Mahavira's Parinirvana (527 B.C.) and is of 21000 years duration. The teachings of precursors cause to degenerate the spiriluality in those who came after them. It may be mentioned here that the Kulakaras are also called Manu in the Adipurana (3:21112). The fourteen Manvantaras in Vedic tradition also carry out the same activities. The Visnupurana (3.2.45-47) describes the main functions of the Manvantaras.lt
After Kulakaras, the sixty three Great Personalities or men of mark (Salakapuruas) appeared in the current Avasarpini period, viz. i) 24 Tirthankaraś,ii) 12 Cakravartis,iii) 9 Balabhadras, iv) 9 Vasudevas or Narayanas, V) 9 Prativasudevas or Pratinarayanas. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana and Padmapurana of Jainas flourished in the age of Tirthankara Munisubrata. The impect of Nami's philosophical conceptions can be perceived on the Upanisadic mysticism. Lord Krisna, the apostle of Non-violence, was the cousin of Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara. Jacobi rightly pointed out that out of 63 Salakapurisas, 27 are related to Krsana legend. It amounts to come to the conclusion that an attempt for reconciliation between Brahmnaical and Sramanic systems was made during this period.
The problem of Aryans was a very controversial one. Taking into consideration all the views, it may be said, as Ramachandran opined that the Aryans began their historic migration circa 2500 B.C.from their original habitat in the South of the Circumpolar
4. Adipurana of Jinasena, Varanasi, 1951. 5. Suryasiddhanta, Calcutta, 1925, 1.18-19.
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