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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
animals and sometimes even human beings were sacrificed to please gods. These sacrificial rituals were to be performed only in the prescribed manner and through particular class of Brahmins who had specialized in the subject. These Brabmins were gifted with land and cows for the sacrificial services rendered by them. This class was thus interested in perpetuating these rituals. Samskrta was the language of the elite. Scriptures were written and preached in Samsksta, which was not spoken or understood by common man. Sūdras were not allowed to learn or speak Sarisksta. Intellectual Ferver
This is indeed a gloomy pen-picture of the society. There was, however, a silver lining because the intellectual revolt had already started by the Upanişadic Rşis, who had begun to interprete Vedas with a philosophical gloss. People had started challenging the corrupte modes. There were intellectual debates and the thinkers had started evolving different theories to explain the universal scheme. Forests were full of recluses, who remaining detached from society, performed severe religious penances which many a times verged on acrobatics, Schools of Cārvākas and Ājivakas were challenging the very idea of Godhood and after-life. Thinkers like Páráva, Āruņi, Yájñavalkya, Kapila, Janaka, Badarāyana and many others of Upanişadic school, who had preceeded Mahavira and Buddha had already initiated a new type of thinking amongst the intellectuals and what was needed was to carry this process to the masses by those who could work for the masses, could speak their language, could bring them to the status of equality and could make them free from the social and economical grip of the aristocracy and priestly order, Revolutionary push by Mahāvīra
This need was supplied by Mahávíra and subsequently by Buddha. Mahavira did not establish any new order. He merely carried out the work of previous Tirthaikaras, the last of whom was Pārsva. The Sramana tradition, not subscribing
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