E-LESSON-6 HISTORY-1

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B.A.English 2 All right are reserved with CU-IDOL HISTORY-I BAQ111 First Course Code: 6 Semester: 6 SLM Unit : E-Lesson: www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111)

HISTORY-I INTRODUCTION 33 OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: Explain the sources of Jainism. India did not lag behind in this run. It was at Explain the causes of decline of Jainism. this critical juncture of time that Swami Mahavir and Mahatma Buddha revolted against the degraded Brahmanism. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQQ111)1) INASlTl ITriUgThEt OarFeDrIeSsTeArNvCeEd AwNitDh OCNUL-IIDNOE LLEARNING

TOPICS TO BE COVERED 4 > Causes for the Rise of Jainism HISTORY-I > Early History Jaina Canonical Literature https://www.indiaolddays.com/important-facts-about-jainism/ www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

JAINISM • Along with Hinduism and Buddhism, Jainism is one of the three most 5 ancient Indian religious traditions still in existence and an integral part https://www.hinduwebsite.com/jainism/jivas.asp of South Asian religious belief and practice. • While often employing concepts shared with Hinduism and Buddhism, the result of a common cultural and linguistic background, the Jain tradition must be regarded as an independent phenomenon rather than as a Hindu sect or a Buddhist heresy, as some earlier Western scholars believed. • The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit verb ji, “to conquer.” • It refers to the ascetic battle that, it is believed, Jain renunciants (monks and nuns) must fight against the passions and bodily senses to gain enlightenment, or omniscience and purity of soul. • The most illustrious of those few individuals who have achieved enlightenment are called Jina (literally, “Conqueror”), and the tradition’s monastic and lay adherents are called Jain (“Follower of the Conquerors”), or Jaina. • This term came to replace a more ancient designation, Nirgrantha (“Bondless”), originally applied to renunciants only. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

CAUSES FOR THE RISE OF JAINISM AND BUDDHISM 6 Complicacy and Cumbersome ritualism in Hinduism: The early Vedic people were the worshippers of the nature and thus the Vedic religion was very simple. It was thus devoid of unnecessary rites, rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices. But with the passage of the time the Vedic religion got degenerated and many complexities cropped up in it. Caste system and Unsociability: The most hated practice of the Hindu society was the discrimination and distinction in the caste system. It divided the society in so many watertight compartments like Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras. Supremacy of the Brahmins: Hindu society was divided in to so many castes and sub castes in which Brahmins dominated the society. It was beyond the power of the people to get rid of their supremacy because no function could be performed without the Brahmins. Costly Yajnas: The growth of, meaningless rituals, elaborate rites, expensive ceremonies and sacrifices were very burdensome for the common men Faith in Magic and Charms: While Vedic religion was getting degenerated into ritualism the Vedic hymns were also getting replaced by the charms and mantras. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

7 Difficult Language: Most of the religious texts were written in Sanskrit language to which the general people had no access. So they failed to understand it. The priestly class interpreted the religious texts according to their own advantage and exploited the simple people. Thus they wanted the texts to be written in spoken languages. Intellectual Confusion: Different means like Gyana Marga, Karma Marga and Tapa Marga were advocated to escape the miseries and sufferings of life by liberating soul from the cycle of birth and death. All these different ways to attain salvation created a lot of intellectual confusion.They now longed for such leaders who might have shown them the right path Birth of Great Men: The leaders like Bhagavan Mahavir and Mahatma Buddha took of the cause and endeavored to reform Hindu society and Hinduism to meet the need of the time as well as the common people. In the words of N.N. Ghosh, “Like Luther and Calvin, Mahavir and Goutam Buddha protested against the corruptions that had crept into Hinduism”. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

EARLY HISTORY 8 The general believe is that Vardhamana, popularly known as Mahavira, is the founder or Jainism. But the Jainas hold that Mahavira is their last prophet i.e. the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. According to them, their religion is as old as the Rig Veda. They believe that their first Tirthankara was Rishava who was the father of Bharata, the first Vedic chakarvarti King of India. There are said to be 23 Tirthankaras after Rishava, about whom our knowledge is nominal.. Mahavira: Mahavira was the last Tirthankara. His original name was Vardhamana. He was born in Kundagrama, a village near Vaisali about 540 B.C. In that village lived a rich noble man Siddhartha who was the head of a Kshatriya clan called Jnatrika. He was married to Trisala, the sister of most famous ruler of Vaisali. To them was born Vardhamana, the Mahavir. Mahavira received education and was married to Yasoda www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

JAINA CANONICAL LITERATURE 9 According to tradition the original doctrines taught by Mahavira were contained in fourteen old texts styled Purvas. Towards the close of the fourth century B.C., Sthulabhadra convened a great council at Pataliputra and reconstructed the Jaina canon in twelve Angas or Sections, superseding the fourteen Purvas. This canon was accepted only by the Svetambaras. •The twelve Angas •The twelve Upangas •The ten Prakirnas •The six Chhedasutras •The four Mulasutras •Miscellaneous texts. •Among the twelve Angas, The Jainas have vast non-canonical literature in the form of commentaries, Kavyas, lyrics, etc. Haribhadra, one of the most famous commentators who flourished in the second half of the ninth century A.D., is reputed to have composed 1444 works. Santisuri, Devendragani and Abhayadeva were other commentators who lived in the 11th century A.D www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Key Words/Abbreviations 10  Anga:- 'Angas' are one of the categories of Jain scriptures followed by the Shwetambara These compilations are, therefore, called as Angas  Upangas:-Upangas are explanations to Angas  Jamali:- Jamali According to some Jain traditions (Shwetambara mainly), Jamali was the son-in-law and first disciple of Tirthankara Mahavira. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Learning Activity 11 1. Trace the origin and development of Jainism in India ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Write a short note on the main teachings of Jainism ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Multiple Choice Questions 1. Mahavira was the______ Tirthankara. 12 (a) last (c) third (b) first (d) none of the above 2. Gyana Marga, Karma Marga and Tapa Marga were advocated to escape the miseries and sufferings of life by liberating soul from the cycle of birth and death (a) Intellectual Confusion (b) Mental Confusion (c) Philosophical Confusion (d) None of the Above 3. Mahavira was born in the year (b) 540 B.C. (a) 539 B.C. (d) 567 B.C. (c) 542 B.C. Answers: 1.(a) 2.(a) 3.(b) www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SUMMARY While often employing concepts shared with Hinduism and Buddhism, the result of a common cultural and 13 linguistic background, the Jain tradition must be regarded as an independent phenomenon rather than as a Hindu sect or a Buddhist heresy, as some earlier Western scholars believed. Causes of rise in Jainism: Complicacy and Cumbersome ritualism in Hinduism Caste system and Unsociability Supremacy of the Brahmins Costly Yajnas Faith in Magic and Charms According to tradition the original doctrines taught by Mahavira were contained in fourteen old texts styled Purvas. Towards the close of the fourth century B.C., Sthulabhadra convened a great council at Pataliputra and reconstructed the Jaina canon in twelve Angas or Sections, superseding the fourteen Purvas. This canon was accepted only by the Svetambaras. •The twelve Angas •The twelve Upangas •The ten Prakirnas •The six Chhedasutras •The four Mulasutras •Miscellaneous texts. •Among the twelve Angas. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Frequently Asked Questions 14 ' 1. What was the four things insisted by Parsavanath? (For more information see SLM) Ans: He insisted on four things (i) non-injury (Ahimsa); (ii) truthfulness; (iii) nonstealing and (iv) non-possession. 2. Where and when was Vardman mahavir born? (For more information see SLM) Ans: He was born in the village Kundagrama in the Muzzaffarpur (Bihar) district in a Kshatriya family in 540 BC. www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

REFERENCES 15  Tripathi, R.S. (2016). Prachin Bharat Ka Itihas : Seventh Edition. Jaipur: Royal Publication.  V.C. Pandey(1986). Political and Cultural History of Ancient India-Part I, Allahabad: Vishal Publication.  Mookerji, R.N. (1947). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsi Das PublishersPvt. Ltd..  Basham, A.L.(1967). The Wonder that was India. London: Arthur Probsthain.  Davies, C.C. (1949). An Historical Atlas of Indian Peninsula. India: Oxford University Press  Majumdar, R.C. (2017). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsilal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.  Dhillon, S.K. (1991). Religious History of Early Medieval Punjab. Punjab: National Book Organisation. Web Resources  https://www.ancient.eu/india/  https://www.culturalindia.net/india-history/ancient-india/index.html  http://www.historyshistories.com/india-aryan-civilization.html www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

16 THANK YOU For queries Email: [email protected] www.cuidol.in Unit-6(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL