________________
MEDIEVAL JAINISM : CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
The Vedic society was composed of four classes, viz., Brahmana, Rajanya, Vaishya and Shudra. They were said to have come from the mouth, the arms, the thighs and the feet of the creator Brahman. The particular limbs ascribed as the origins of these divisions and the order in which they were mentioned indicated their status in the society of the time. No only the four classes were distinct and separate, but they were also affected by the spirit of rivalry among themselves. Even in the early Rigvedic times the Brahmanical profession had begun to set up claims of superiority or sacredness for itself and accordingly we find that different rules were prescribed for different classes. The Kshatriyas were assigned a position next to Brahmins, and Vaishyas and Shudras were comparatively neglected. Thus the Vedic Society was completely Class-ridden in the sense that unusual importance was given to the Brahmin class to the detriment of other classes.
Against these glaring practices based on the acceptance of social inequality and on the wide observance of social discrimination, Tirthankara Mahavira and Jain Acharyas launched their attack. They recognized the division of society into four classes but based them on the nature of activities carried out by the people and not on the basis of their birth. They gave full freedom to one and all, including women and Shudras, to observe common religious practices prescribed for all and admitted them into their religious order. In this order those who followed religion as householders were known as shravakas and shravikas and those who observed the religion fully by leaving their houses and becoming ascetics were called as sadhus and sadhvis.
Thus Mahavira's conception of Varna system produced social impact of great significance. The principle of social equality among the classes was firmly
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
