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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c12.s2.t2: Jain Conception of Brāhmaṇa

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c12.s2.t2

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Jain Conception of Brāhmaṇa

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Jain writers like those of the Buddhists lay stress on one's deeds rather than one's birth. It is said that one does not become a Sāmaṇa by the tonsure, nor a Brāhmaṇa by enchanting the sacred syllable ‘Om’, nor a Muni by living in woods, nor a Tāvasa by wearing clothes of kusa grass and bark, but one becomes a Sāmaṇa by equanimity of mind, a Brāhmaṇa by chastity, a Muni by knowledge and a Tāvasa by penance. In fact, a person's worth in life is determined by virtuous life and not by birth.¹⁴ The ridicule of caste system reaches its highest pitch when Hariesa, a soāga by birth, visited a sacrificial enclosure (jamacāḍa) of a Brāhmaṇa teacher and preached him that the real fire was penance, the real fire-place was life, the real ladle (suā) was right exertion, the real cow-dung was body, the real fire-wood was karman, the real oblation was self-control, right exertion and tranquility, the sacred pond was law and the real bathing-place was celibacy.¹⁵ But it is interesting to note that in spite of those caste-denouncing preachings and sermons the Jains could not do away with the time honoured restrictions of caste. They drew a line of distinction between high tribes (jāti-ārya) and low tribes (jāti-jungiya), high trade (kamma-ārya) and low trade (kamma-jungiya) and high crafts (sippa-ārya) and low crafts (sippa-jungiya)¹⁶ which we shall see shortly.

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¹⁴ Uttara 25.29 ff. Cf. a similar view of the Buddhist writers. Birth and caste cause conceit, virtue is the highest, Khattiya, Brāhmaṇa, Vessa, Sudda, Caṇḍāla and Pukkasa all become equal in the world of God if they have acted virtuously here, Sutta Nipāta I, 7, III, 9, Lick op. cit. p. 29. Majjhima op. cit. pp. 354-363.

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¹⁵ Uttara 12.4 ff.

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¹⁶ Cf. the Buddhists who stood as great champions for the purity of blood by keeping the family pure through marriage confined to the people of one's standing and profession and not to allow it to degenerate through mixture with lower elements (Fick op. cit., p. 52). Cf. also Ghuve op. cit. p. 66 also see Sammele Vinoda-ni (p. 410) where kamma and sippa are divided into high and low.

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