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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s2: The Contribution of Pārśvanātha

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s2

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English

The Contribution of Pārśvanātha

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Pārśvanātha flourished towards the end of the ninth century B C, 250 years before Mahāvīra He was a powerful religious teacher, who fought against the Brāhmanic tyranny of caste system³⁸ and the merciless slaughter of animals³⁹ in the Vedic sacrifices. The religion of Pārsva was meant for one and all without any distinction of caste or creed. He was a well-wisher of women and gave them freedom by admitting them into his order.⁴⁰

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³⁸ Cf Viṣṇusmṛti (The Institutes of Vishnu, S B E, Vol VII, LI 61-63) where it is stated that the slaughter of beasts for a sacrifice is no slaughter and the animals destroyed for the purpose of sacrifice, obtain exaltation in another existence, also see Gautama, XVII, 37, Vasiṣṭha, (XI 46); Manu V 39.

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³⁹ Cf Āpastamba (I 5 14) where purification is prescribed on touching a woman, they were also not allowed to perform religious sacrifices (II 6. 17), also cf Baudhāyana (I 5 11 7) where women are considered to have no business with the sacred texts Cf Buddha who after repeated refusals and with great reluctance allowed women to enter the Sangha and that too on the acknowledgement of their inferiority (Cullavagga, X, I)

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Pārśva emphasised the doctrine of *Ahiṃsā*. Since he had to raise a protest against the Brāhmanic sacrifices which inculcated slaughter of animals, this step was quite essential⁴¹ Later on, he added three more precepts to this, *viz.*, abstinence from telling lies (*musāvādā veramaṇī*, Palī), from stealing (*adinnādānāo veramaṇa; adinnādānā veramaṇī*, Palī) and from external possessions (*bahiddhāo veramaṇa*). These four precepts were called by the name of *Cāujjāmadhamma*, which constituted an important feature of the immediate background of Mahāvīra's Jainism. Pārśvanātha also enjoined strict asceticism⁴² as the only way for the attainment of salvation. As a matter of fact, the fundamental principles of the two *Niggantha* orders were not at all different and the religion preached by one was substantially the same as preached by the other. The description of the rules of conduct of Kesi Kumāra, a disciple of Pārśva,⁴³ tallies *verbatim* with those of the disciples of Mahāvīra⁴⁴ with the difference that the former preached the four great vows, while the latter preached five. It is said that the first saints were simple but slow of understanding, the last were prevaricating and slow of understanding and those between the two were simple and wise, hence there were two forms of Law.⁴⁵ Another important difference between the doctrine of Pārśva and Mahāvīra was that the former allowed an under and upper garment (*santaruttaro*) whereas the latter forbade clothing altogether.⁴⁶ Questioned by Kesi as to what caused this difference between the two law-givers pursuing the same end, Goyama replied that the various outward symbols were introduced because they were useful for religious life; as a matter of fact, knowledge, faith and right conduct, were the only true causes of liberation and not the outward symbols.⁴⁷ The order of Pārśva seems to have undergone some changes in the period between the death of Pārśvanātha and the advent of Mahāvīra and that might have been the cause of the latter's alienation.⁴⁸

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⁴¹ Cf however that even at the time of the Brāhmanas a section of people regarded *Ahiṃsā* as a great virtue and sacrifice a source of sin. See *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* I 11 3. 6-9, I. 2. 5 19; *Vasiṣṭha*, 10. 2; also cf *Kena Up.*, 1, 3, *Chāndogya*, 3, 17, 4, *Mahābhārata*, *Śānti*, P. 143-148, 174, 268 271, 274

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⁴² *Tapas* is also praised in the Brāhmanic literature. See *Śatapatha Br.*, 9 5. 1 8; *Āpastamba*, 2 9 23 1-6, also cf. *Chāndogya*, 3 17 4; *Jābāla* 6, *Mahābhārata*, *Śānti* P. 159, 251, 294.

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⁴³ Cf *Rāya Sū.* 147

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⁴⁴ Cf *Oīā Sū* 16, p 61.

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⁴⁵ *Uttarā*, 23, 26

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⁴⁶ *Ibid.*, 26, 29.

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⁴⁷ *ibid.*, 32 f.

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⁴⁸ Cf *Jain Sūtras*, Vol. XIV, p. 122 n 3; Prof. P. C. Bagchi, *op cit.*, p. 81 f.

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Pārśvanātha founded the four orders (*gaṇas*) with their Gaṇadharas⁴⁹ which shows that possibly the arrangement for the organization of the Jain Church was the best which could be had in those early days. Reference has already been made to the ascetics belonging to the order of Pārśva moving about in a congregation during the course of Mahāvīra's ascetic life. Thus it is evident that Jainism was not a new phenomenon in the history of Indian religion of the sixth century B.C., as is popularly supposed, but it goes back to the period of Pārśvanātha, the 23rd *Tīrthankara* of the Jains, as early as the ninth century B.C.

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⁴⁹ *Kalpa, Sū.* 6, 16p,

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