Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Vidya Samsthan

Page 18

MAHĀVĪRA
AND HIS PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
Pre-Mahavira Period Jainism is one of the oldest living religions of the world. It represents the continuation of indigenous Sramanic culture which is at least as old as the Vedas themselves, so far as the literary evidence goes, though the archaeological evidence takes Sramaņism far back to Harappan civilization, which is regarded as non-Vedic in origin and outlook. It should be borne in mind that according to the Jaina tradition Jainism owes its origin to Rsabha, the first among the twenty-four Tirthankaras.* The Hindu Bhagavata Purana mentions certain facts about Rsabha which agree in a great measure with those
* The rest of the Tirthankaras are : 2. Ajitanatha i 3. Sambhavanātha
4. Abhinandananātha 5. Sumatinåtha 6. Padmaprabha
7. Suparsvanatha 8. Candraprabha 9. Puspadanta or Suvidhinatha 10. Sitalanātha 11. Sreyāṁsanatha 12. Våsupūjya
13. Vimalanātha 14. Anantanātha 15. Dharmanatha
16. Santinātha 17. Kunthunatha 18. Aranātha
19. Mallinātha 20. Munisuvrata 21. Naminātha
22. Neminātha 23. Parsvanatha 24. Mahavira or Vardhamāna. It may be mentioned that the five Tirthankaras, namely, Rsabhadeva or Adinatha, Ajitanātha, Abhinandananātha, Sumatinātha and Anantanātha were born in Ayodhyā. Again, Rsabhadeva attained Nirvana at Mt. Kailasa in Tibet, Vasupujya, at Campā in Bihar, Neminatha, at Mt. Giranāra in Gujarat and Mahāvira, at Pavā in Bihar. The rest twenty Tirthankaras attained Nirvāna at Mt. Sammedaśikhara in Bihar. Five Tirthankaras, namely, Vāsupujya, Mallinātha, Neminātha (Aristanemi), Pārsvanātha and Mahavira did not marry.
Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life