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Contribution of Jainism to Indian Culture
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The Vedic society was composed of four classes, viz., Brahman, Rajanya (i.e. Ksatriya), Vaisya and Sūdra. They were said to have come from the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the feet of the Creator, Brahmă. 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. The fact that the four classes were described as of divine origin could be taken as sufficient indication that they were of long duration and also very well defined. Not only the four classes were distinct and separate, but they were also later on affected by the spirit of rivalry among themselves. Even in the early Rgvedic times the Brahmanical profession had begun to set up claims of superiority or grandness for itself and accordingly we find that different rules were prescribed for different classes. Obviously the prerogatives of the sacerdotal class created cleavages in the society. The Ksatriyas were assigned a position next to Brāhmaṇas and Vaisyas and Sūdras were comparatively neglected. Thus the society at that time was completely class-ridden in the sense that unusual importance was given to the Brahmin class to the detriment of other classes and that nobody was allowed to change his class which he had got on the basis of his birth in that class.
Against these glaring practices based on the acceptance of social inequality and on the wide observance of social discrimination, Tirthankara Mahāvīra and later on Jaina ācāryas forgot their opposition. Tirthankara Mahāvīra 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. He gave full freedom to one and all, including women and
the Šūdras, to observe common religious practices prescribed for all and admitted them into his religious order. In this way Tīrthankara Mahāvīra threw open the doors of Jainism to all and gave an equal opportunity to everybody, irrespective of his class or birth, to practice religion according to his capacity. Those who followed religion as householders (male and female) were known as śrāvakas and śrāvikas and those who observed the religion fully by leaving their houses and becoming ascetics (male and female) were called as sādhus and sādhvis.
In this way the society as envisaged by Tirthankara Mahāvīra and other Jaina ācāryas, was a society where classes were not hereditary like water-tight compartments and where complete freedom was granted to the people to change to the class of their own aptitude. All classes were considered as different ways of life and utmost importance was attached to individual character and mode of behavior. There was no room for anybody to feel that he was neglected or degraded as he was free enough to follow any profession he liked and he could observe all religious rites and practices with others.
Thus Tirthankara Mahāvīra's conception of Varna system produced social impact of great significance. The principle of social equality among the classes was finally established and the social mobility among the classes was considerably increased as the criterion of birth for the membership of a class was straightway removed. This had a very wholesome effect on the conditions of the Sūdras which were very deplorable in the sense that the Sūdras were deprived of education, denied all rights, subjected to inhuman treatment, and assigned the lowest
