Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): Jyoti Prasad Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

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RELIGION & CULTURE OF THE JAINS
Pārsva's historicity is now almost unanimously accepted by modern scholars. He revived the teachings of the earlier Tirthankaras in a very forceful manner and probably codified the main points of the doctrine as we now know it, his system being sometimes known as the Cāturyāma (fourfold) dharma. He also tried to purge asceticism of corrupt practices and unnecessary torture of the body, such as by the pañcāgni-tapas (penance by fivefold fire). He succeeded in gaining a large following, including some powerful ruling princes of the time. The rise and development of the spiritualistic philosophy of the Upanişads in the Brāhmaṇical fold and an almost complete extinction of violent Vedic sacrifices was mostly due to the impact of Pārsva's techings which were most popular among the anti-Brāhmaṇical Vrātya Kșatriyas of the times.
His contribution to the creed of the Tīrthankaras and his influence on contemporary religious thought and practice were so remarkable that he is often described as the real founder of Jainism. Even a sect of the early medieval popular ascetic yogins was known as the Pārasanāthī after him, although it had almost nothing to do with the then prevailing institutional Jainism. Pārsva's influence does not appear to have remained confined to India alone, but probably reached parts of central Asia and even Greece. His faith continued to flourish till the 6th century B.C. when it received a fresh renovation at the hands of Mahāvīra, the last of the twentyfour Tīrthankaras.
Mahāvīra was born on the 13th day of the bright fortnight of Caitra, corresponding to 30th March, 599 B.C., in the town of Kundanagara (or Kundagrāma), a suburb of Vaiśālī (modern Basārh in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar in eastern India). His father Siddhārtha belonged to the Kāsyapa gotra and the clan of Jñārika Ksatriyas, and mother, Trisalā, also known as Priyakāriņi and Videhadattā, was a daughter (according to another tradition, sister), of the Licchavi chief Cetaka of Videha, who was the head of the powerful Vajjian confederacy and at whose call all