History, asked by prisha248, 6 hours ago

What was the social impact of the teachings of Mahavira on society?

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Answered by ananyanaskar28
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Answer:

Though Mahavira Jaina was the founder of the historical Jainism, the jaina traditions maintained that there were 23 Tirthankars or prophets of that faith before the birth of Mahavira.

Mahavira thus is regarded as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara of the Jainas. It is said that the first of those prophets was Rishabha, and the last Tirthankara before Mahavira was Parsvanath.

The lives of the earlier Tirthankaras are unknown to history. Parsvanath, however, lived nearer to historical times and there-more, some accounts of him are available to history. But he, too, is said to have died 250 years before Mahavira, after living a full life of hundred years.

Parsvanath was the son of Asvasena, a Kshatriya king of Banaras. At the age of 30, he abandoned home in search of truth, and got his enlightenment after hard penance. He collected a large number of disciples to whom he preached his doctrines. The followers of his faith were asked to take four great vows, namely, to give up violence or injury to life, to be ever truthful, not to take property of others, and not to possess property of one’s own.

His successor to the faith, Mahavira, added the fifth vow, namely, to maintain celebacy, or Brahmacharya. Parsva believed in the eternity of all matter. Mahavira” also believed in that. This leads some historians to suggest that Parsvanath was the real founder of the Jaina faith. Mahavira Jina, however, gave that faith its real and historical form, and made it a great religion. He was the last Tirthankara or ‘the Ford-maker across the stream of existence’.

Mahavira Jaina: His Life:

The original name of Mahavira was Vardhamana. He was born in a village named Kundagrama near the ancient city of Vaisali. His father Siddhartha was the chief of a Kshatriya clan, famous as Jnatrikas. His mother was princess Trishala, sister of the ruler of Vaisali, Chetaka. She was also related to some other royal families of that time. This shows that Vardhamana was born in a highly aristocratic family of fame and wealth.

The date of the birth of Vardhamana Mahavira is controversial. According to one calculation, he was born in 618 B.C. and died in 546 B.C. after a life of 72 years. According to another calculation, he was born in 540 B.C. and died in 468 B.C. Though some other dates are also suggested, the date of Mahavira’s death in 468 B.C. is accepted as a more probable date.

It is based on a tradition recorded by the famous Jaina monk Hemachandra that Chandragupta Maurya came to the throne after 155 years of Mahavira’s death. But, this calculation also creates difficulties when related to other historical events. The dates of Mahavira thus remain yet doubtful.

It is enough to know, that Mahavira belonged to sixth century B.C., was a contemporary of Buddha, and according to Buddhist sources, he died before Buddha. Vardhamana started his life like others. In his youth he married Yoshoda. A daughter was born to him. But the worldly attractions did not make him worldly-minded. At the age of 30, after the death of his parents, he renounced the world and became a monk.

He took to a life of extreme penance and a wandering monk. In search of truth he struggled for long twelve years. He subjected his body to all kinds of pain while moving from place to place. According to a description in a Jaina text: “He wandered naked and homeless. People struck him and mocked at him. Unconcerned, he continued in his meditations. In Ladha, the inhabitants persecuted him and set dogs on him.

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