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The great contribution of Jainism in social sphere is that it observed no distinction of caste and creed According to it, religious salvation is the birthright of every one and it is assured if onc follows the prescribed rules of conduct According to it birth is nothing caste is nothing but action is everything The doctrine of Karma (action) made the individual conscious of his responsibility for all actions Onc becomes a Brahmana or a Kshatriya or a Vaisya or a Sudra by one's actions Even at the time of Mahavira, Jainism was accepted by a large number of men and women belonging to different castes and classes Several contemporary Kings quccns, princes and ministers became his followers His chief cleven disciples known as Ganadharas were also Brahmanas who helped the master in spreading his faith Besides, he attracted a large number of rich bankers and merchants He also tried his best for improving the lot of the oppressed people of Vajrabhumi and Svabhrabhumi by his teachings Even after Mahavira, Jainism observed no distinction of castc and crccd based on birth Thc Nanda ruler and Chandragupta Maurya, who are said to be the Jainas, were of humble castc The carly medieval period was the most flourishing time for Jainism in India Most of the ruling dynastics in one way or other came under the influence of Jainism AS ALTEKAR holds the view that probably one-third of the Deccan was the follower of Jainism Even in Northern India, a large number of people accepted Jainism and formed the castes of Osavala, Khandclawala, Porawala, Agrawala, ctc
Another notable contribution of Jainism in social sphere is that it made no distinction of sex by admitting women into the Jaina Sangha They used to lead a life of celibacy with the aim of understanding and following the cternal truths of religion and philosophy Ajita, Chandana and Jayanti were the famous nun-discipics of Mahavira These nuns were permitted to study Jaina scriptures Some of them were learned scholars Haribhadrasuri, a notable scholar of Jainism of the eighth century AD, was deeply inspired by a Jaina nun By wandering from place to place, even now nuns by their noble conduct and teachings inspire the masses
One noteworthy feature of Jainism is that it made laity as also monks participants in the Jaina Sangha by imposing certain strict rules of conduct As a consequence, laymen of Jainism became greatly conscious, disciplined and enlightcned They kept a watchful eye on the monks This type of organization gave the Jaina a deep root in India, and that root firmly planted amongst the laity enabled Jainism to withstand the storm that drove Buddhism out of India Besides, by occupying the influential posts of administration and by becoming leaders of society, these laymen gave proper guidance to the society from time to time
Professor and Head School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology Vikram University, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)
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