World Of Jainism

Author(s): Vishwanath Pandey
Publisher: Vishwanath Pandey

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THE ORIENT
of the two important rebellious thinkers, namely Gautam the Buddha and Mahavira is of great significance. Many changes took place which mark the scene. The most important event was the Mahabharata war which created the deepest impact upon the mind of the people at that time and produced serious change in the outlook of the people. It is needless to go into the controversy of the historical authenticity of the Mahabharata war here. Even if it is myth and the war figures only in the epic, as many scholars would like to believe, the epic had its impact on the mind of people, as it does to-day. The exalting optimism of the Vedas had a setback after the Mahabharata war. There was general abhorrence for violence, and destruction. Scepticism found a new ground. Even the wise ones were not sure about the nature of the right path, dharma and satya. The post-Mahabharata pessimism led again to various ways to attain it.
The Buddhist and the Jaina sources also mention numerous schools which were prevalent when the Buddha and Mahavira came on the scene. The Brahmajala and Samannaphala Suttas of Digha Nikaya in particular and Anguttara Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya and several books of the Jaina canonical literature, e.g. Bhagwati Sutra, Akaranga Sutra, Sutrakritanga, etc., mention a host of schools and preachers propounding their different and often conflicting views or systems. Sixty two such schools can be enumerated not to talk of the forgotten ones. From the metaphysical point of view these schools1 oscillate between the eternalism of the followers of the Upanisads and the nihilism of the materialists like Ajit Keshkambalin. From the ethical point of view these schools lie between the view of possibility of liberation (moksa) and the efficacy of the karmas held by the Upanisads and the Jaina thinkers and that of the ethical nihilism of the materialists. Determinism (niyativada) of Makkhali Gosala, scepticism of Sanjaya and several other thinkers fall within above extremes. The Karmavadins held yoga or more correctly, the path of supreme knowledge coupled with moral perfection as the surest means to attain the final goal-the destruction of bad karmas and the consequent liberation of soul or the attainment of Nirvana. For the attainment of moral perfection and supreme knowledge, these thinkers prescribed from simple to most rigorous mental and physical disciplines. Some of the Ajivakas who were predecessors of Mahavira wandered even naked. Some of them subjected themselves to severe self mortification such sleeping on thorns or sitting surrounded with fire.
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It is against the background of this ethico-philosophical atmosphere that we have to consider the emergence of Mahavira and the Jaina philosophy and religion. The questions naturally
1. Sutrakrintanga, II, 1, 15: Digha Nikaya, Samannaphala Sutta.