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SHRAMAN MAHAVIR
the refulgence of truth and light along the vast horizons The creation was uplifted with a new glow.
Lord Mahavira revolutionised the prevalent mode of thinking by installing non-violence on the pedestal of equity and eqanimity Non-violence was a principle--acceptable to Vedic school and shramana school equally But the tradıtional non-violence of the Vedic thinkers was more canonridden Inequality alongwith its evil ingredients was allowed to pollute the concept
1. Casteism :
One of the vicious constituents of inequity was the riveting of caste with birth A Brahmin was superior by virtue of his birth and an untouchable low on that very account People who could understand the quintessence of spiritualism condemned casteism.
To quote Yagnavalkya from 'Brihadaranyak' "A saint wellgrounded in Brahma alone is a true Brahmin" But the voice in support of this rational view was too feeble to be heard in the uproarious din of casteism It was, again, Lord Mahavira who raised the voice to a pitch as to be audible to all and sundry The Lord propounded the principle of caste based not on birth but on the deeds of one
In the Lord's order the slaves, the untouchables and the low-caste people were initiated, thus winning the status hitherto reserved for the high-caste Brahmins The Lord described the order as a laboratory wherein one experimented to eradicate the conceits bred by one's caste or sub-caste In the present context we may not appreciate the rationale of making such experiments in an order But twenty-five centuries ago casteism was taken for granted It was accepted as something natural. Many saints exulted in their caste and Subcaste with gusto The forum of religion itself lent strength to this invidious discrimination Hence from the same forum of religion this inequanimity and inequity was to be denounced. Lord Mahavira took upon himself this task of promoting equity
