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By Mr. Rajmal Jain
Lord Mahavir was born in the ancient most republic of V AISHALI. His father was Raja Siddharth. His mother was Trishala also named as Priyakarini (one who does good. She was indeed did so by giving birth to Mahavir). She was the daughter of Gana Raja Chetak. Shwetambar sect of the Jains affirms that Mahavir's mother Trishala was the sister of Chetak. In modem terms, Chetak was the President of the 'Ganatantra' (republic) of Vaishali also called as 'Vrijji Sangh'. The term Raja in Vaishali Sangh did not perhaps connote a king but it seems to have been used for a member of the council of the republic which deliberated the affairs of the state in 'Santhaagar'. We may translate this term as the Parliament. There were 7707 such Rajas who were vasntan or the inhabitants who used to assemble in Santhaagar to deliberate and decide the issues of the republic such as external, political and culture and who used to manage their areas. In times of any war, they also took part in defending the republic. They may be likened to MPs of our times (who sometimes indulge in verbal fights in the Parliament ! They voted using black and red Shalakas. The black colour was for Ayes and the red was for Nos. There was an officer known as 'Ganak' for counting. Silence of the members indicated approval. Actually, Vaishali was a federation (Sangh) of three small republican states namely, Vaishali, Vrijji and Videha. The later of these is reputed as the birth place of Jain Tirthankars.(Tirth means ford and Kar denotes maker, Thus a Tirthankar is one like a ford whose teachings help in crossing the painful cycle of births and rebirths.) As Vaishali 'Gana' was the most powerful and popular, the federation came to be known as Vaishali Gantantra. The northern boundary of Vaishali extended till the Himalayas. Its southern limit was the river Ganges The western and eastern limits were River Gandaki and Champaranya (a region or place full of forest of the fragrant Champa tlowers-- the place is still called Champaran)) respectively. There were many other small republics also. Lord Buddha, a contemporary of Mahavir and his junior in age by about 17 years was born in Shakya republic which was under the suzerainty of the King of Kosal. Mahavir was born in 599 B.C. or 2603 years ago at Kundpur, a suburb of Vaishali which was nearest to the birth place of Mahavir. Vaishali was a big city for those days and was surrounded by three fortifications necessitated by its expansion into about nine miles. Its population was estimated at two lakhs. As Mahavir belonged to Vaishali, he has been also called 'V AISHALIK' or 'Vaishliya' in Jain accounts. In Buddhist literature mainly, he has been referred to as "Niganth Nathputta" The term Niganth is Prakrit form of 'Nirgranth'. Nir means without and Granth signifies knot or tie. Thus Mahavir was 'free from all knots or ties' or one who has renounced all worldly attachments characteristic of a sky-clad or Digambar Muni. 'Nath-putta' means son of Nath lineage. The Sanskrit form of Nath has been rendered is 'Gyantri'. One of the disciples of Lord Buddha informed him of the demise of Niganth Nathputta. Bauddha scholar and eminent author of Hindi Rahul Sankrityayan has informed us that the word Gyantri has now corrupted as 'Jathariya' and Jatharia people with blue eyes are still to be found in and around the place of Vaishali (Rahulji's Puratatva Nibandhavali) Mahavir spent 12 rainy seasons of four months (chaturmas) in Vaishali. Lord Buddha also spent 14 rainy seasons in Vaishali. On one occasion, Buddha asked his main disciple Anand to see the Vaishali Council in session describing it as the assembly of 'Devas' (Tryastinsh). On his last visit, Buddha looked back at Vaishali in the manner of an elephant from atop a mound (it still exists) and remarked to Anand that it will be his last 'dassanam' or view ofVaishali. He was so much impressed with the Vaishali Sangh that in his last moments also, (Mahaparinivan Sutta) he asked Anand to fashion his religious order or Bauddha Sangh on the pattern of Vaishali Sangh. The ruins of Vishal fort may still be seen there as well as the 'Abhishek pohkharini' --a tank for ceremonial bath for the Rajas It has been now filled and still exists. It was covered and well guarded for the Rajas. Small ponds bearing lotuses and plenty of Banana trees as described in Jain texts at the time of Mahavir can even now delight the visitor. A deep and tall stone pillar with a lion atop also reminds one of the lion cognizance of Lord Mahavir. Its foundation was dug for about eight feet and the attempt was abandoned. Now it has been dug up. Vaishali is to-day known by the name 'Basadh' in Vaishali district, near Muzaffarpur in Bihar. Jains have forgotten it as well as Kundgram which is now known as Vasukund. Jains erroneously regard Kundalpur near Patna as the birth place of Mahavir Shwetambars regard 'lichchwad' as the birth place of Mahavir which is not accepted as correct... However, Vaishali was established as the birth place of Mahavir by scholars like J. C. Mathur and Buddhist scholar Rahul Sankrityayan. They identified the piece of land which was not cultivated (Ahalya not to be ploughed) by the owners for centuries. The owners used to light lamp on the day of 'Nirvan' of Mahavir as tradition.. later, the first President of India, Dr. Rajendraprasad inaugurated the Prakrit and Hindi inscription there. A magnificent memorial and temple to Mahavir are yet to appear. All the above facts conclusively prove that lord Mahavir's birth place was Kundgram, a part of Vaishali. There stood a seven-storey palace of his father (Uttarpuran of 9th century). To-day, there is no trace of the palace. It might have been a wooden structure for which superior wood might have been procured from the nearby forests of the Himalayas. In all probability, it was destroyed or burnt by assailants Just to cite an example of extensive use of wood, the wooden boundary pillars of the time of at least Chandra Gupta Maurya have been found near Patna. So the possibility of assault lurks. This palace was of no use to Mahavir as he spent most of the time of his 30 years stay in the palace meditating upon the ultimate goal of life i.e. liberation of the soul. The republic of Vaishali was destroyed by the grandson (by his daughter Chelna) of President Chetak named Ajatshatru, the king of neighbouring Magadh. Further blows were later inflicted by Gupta emperor Samudragupta who took pride in proclaiming himself as 'licchvi Douhitra' meaning grandson of Vaishali on mother's side even on his coins. The two grandsons brought about the fall of Vaishali and the high glory of the republic of Vaishali. When Chinese traveler Wyensang visited Vaishali in 7th century, the city was in ruins and burning. There he found more 'Nirgranthas' (Jain Munis who are free from all ties, passionless and have no material possessions and are 'skyclad') in more numbers than the 'Brotherns' or Buddhists as he called them. It is mainly the Buddhist accounts which give details of the administrative arrangements, the council in session and the seven-tier judicial system of Vaishali. Credit also goes to Buddhist literature for making Vaishali the "RECORDED REPUBLIC" (K. P. Jayaswal). In some respects, even the Greek republics like Athens and Sparta of the similar periods can hardly match Vaishali. But here is no occasion for comparison. Lord Buddha, Ajatshatru and Vaishali To be brief, the discussion has to restricted to the principles followed by the people ofVaishali and the MPs of the same and how did this 'Mother of Parliaments' (prajatantra ki mata as described by the eminent Hindi poet Dinkar.) fell to the design of Ajatshatru. As Mahavir's teachings have republican character and Buddha's Sangh has also drawn organizational inspiration from Vaishali, it would be relevant if rules of conduct as available in Buddhist literature are listed below. (present author is highly indebted to quote Shri. K. P. Jayaswal, author of Hindu Polity for English translation of Pali extracts (ppAO-42) Quoting original would have been Greek and Latin. Vassakaar did come to Vaishali and conveyed his master's message to Buddha. But "Buddha addressed his reply (not to the Chancellor, but to his foremost disciple) in these words: "Have you heard, Anand, that the Vajjins often hold full and frequent assemblies. " To this, Anand replied in the affirmative. The Buddha put such seven questions relating to the Constitution of the Vajjins, intended to be heard by the Chancellor. The verdict of the Buddha may be summed up in his own words as follows: (1) "So long,
Anand, as the Vajjins hold full and frequent assemblies: Hearing this, the Chancellor murmured 'the Vajjins can not be overcome by the King of Magadha' The only possible policy was to create disunion (mithubheda). "As soon as the Chancellor had taken leave of the Buddha, the Teacher called a meeting of Bhikshu Samgha in the Hall, and addressed them: "I will teach you, 0 Mendic.ants, the seven conditions of welfare (of a community)." And he repeated the very seven conditions (with necessary modifications which were the features of the practice of the Vajjins and which were well known as testified to by Anand: (1) "So long as the Bhikkhus meet together in full and frequent assemblies: Now, the conclusion of the very learned author K. P. Jayaswal to obviate any accusation of partiality on the part of the present author as he is a Jain. It is as follows: "The history of the birth of the Buddhist Sangh is a history of the birth of the Monastic Order in the world. The history, therefore, of the birth of the religious brotherhood of the Buddha from the womb of the Indian Republic is of interest not only to this country, but to the world at large," "It was a case of borrowing, no doubt, but at the same time, there was an original idea behind it which only a great mind could conceive. The originality consisted in transferring the constitution of a political corporation to religion, and -" conjuring up an organization to perpetuate the being of that religion." It has already been said above that the Vajjins were also an important constituent of the republic of Vaishali under the dominating personality of Gana Raja Chetak. The words in the extract "Chaitya, Arhant and 'keep out Brahmanical systems" are indication that Vaishali Sangh was at least predominantly Jain. The word 'ARHANT' in Jainism is used for the souls who are workship-worthy, have attained Omniscience but have not left their corporal body. One Buddhist work informs us that the 'Rajas' used to sleep on wooden planks and Buddha had predicted that they will be defeated if they switched over to soft beds. Jain saints and laity observing vows even now sleep on wooden planks. The minister Vassakar reported to Ajatshatru that Vaishali can only be defeated by sowing seeds of dissension. His master staged an expulsion drama and sent the minister to Vaishali. He mingled with the Rajas and embarked upon a whispering campaign. The members got suspicious of each other and when it came to defending the republic, they did not come out to defend Vaishali. Thus came the end of the illustrious and forerunner of the republics. It is also to be noted that the republican people like the Mallas shifted to Nepal and founded kingdoms there. Those scholars who assert that Sangh is a Buddhist concept need reading the Pali Buddhist text 'Mahaparinivvan Sutta' and other Pali texts for first hand knowledge of Vaishali Sangh and its impact on Buddhist Sangh. There were many religious teachers at the time of Lord Buddha and they also had their own religious organizations. It is reported that the Buddha tried many of them. He did not prefer to adopt any of their system. Instead, he preferred the order of the Arhant-worshipping Vaishali. The reason seems that he belonged to a family which worshipped Arhant Parshvanath, the 23rd Jain Tirthankar. Bauddha book 'Sanyutta Nikay' informs us that he practiced Jainistic way of penance for six years. In this book, he tells us that he took meals in his two palms joined together, rooted out his hair with his own hands and so on. This is the practice of sky-clad Digamber Jain Munis. As he found such penance very severe, he left it and founded his 'middle path' i.e. Buddhism. The model of Jain Sangh was already there represented by Vaishali Sangh in its political form. Republican teachings of Mahavir RIGHT TO LNE : was the first message he gave out to one and all. This message is still valid for all humanity and will be relevent for all times to come. In his first sermon on the Mount Vipulachal near Patna in the state of Bihar, Lord Mahavir said "All Jiving beings want to live." By 'living beings', he meant all forms of life from man to 'nigod'. Nigod is a technical term' of Jainism also signifying the 'vegetable kingdom' Jainism has always believed that even the plants have one sense which is the sense of touch. Thus Mahavir was for granting right to live for the highest to the lowest. CO-EXISTENCE : Perhaps humanity has not learnt this lesson. Wars are, fought, aggressions take place and rightthinking people are now emphasizing peaceful co-existence. Mahavir not only emphasized co-existence for humans. He exhorted that the plants, birds, ferocious and foe animals and man can co-exist. There is no need for man to destroy or eliminate even the animals considered as foes.. If he does so, he is not only indulging in disturbing the equilibrium of Nature but also inviting trouble for himself and losing useful friends. As for plants, he even prescribed many Dos and Don'ts for the preservation of trees, plants and the vegetable kingdom, He pointed out as to which vegetables contain bacteria e.g. cauliflower, the innumeal seed-containing brinjal (one of the'Bahubeej') and many more). He even asked his followers not to consume vegetables that excite passion in man as do the onion and 'lahsun' The list is somewhat big. It was to ensure that the meal is really vegetarian and free from passion-inducing, Such a prohibition was also important from the point of view of health.. Destruction of plants and trees is disastrous. Jain Munis do nottrample upon greenery. The destruction of animal life has been repentful experience of some people. A few examples are given here from the thought-provoking book of Yuri Dmitriyev, a zoologist of staunchly communist Russia of 1984. His book is 'Man and Animals', In it, he has pleaded for kindness to the animal world and opines that the civilized man is the enemy of animals. Examples: (l) "The lion is magnanimous too: it never kills when it is not hungry. Aware ofthis, its "subjects", zebras and antelopes, graze unafraid not far from a lion eating its prey." (p.196)."Decrease of wild animals forces the lion to attack domestic animals." (2) "The number of elephants is dwindling fast but still the slaughter continues. In Kenya alone, some 4000 or 5000 elephants were killed legally and illegally every year. Actually, ivory is no longer an attraction. A profitable branch in tourist trade are waste-paper baskets of elephant's feet. One elephant yields four waste-paper baskets! How very practical! " (p.202203). (3) "The Americans decided to save the deer herd on the Kailab Plateu in the state of Arizona. The deer suffered great losses from predators --pumas and wolves--so people began to destroy these predators. Before long, there was not a single puma or wolf left in the locality. (result) "the increased number of deer would devastate the plant life and having destroyed it, the deer would start to die of hunger. (lesson) "predators regulate the numbers and do not let the animals to multiply excessively, and in this way prevent the spread of epidemics. They not only eat dead animals, which are a source of infection, but they also destroy weak and sick animals --carriers of disease-- and thus cut short its spread."(p.263-265). (4) There is a voluminous book "USEFUL INSECTS" perhaps published from America. There are many more. (at present the book is not with the present author) In Zoological terms, there is a food chain in the scheme of Nature. It should not be disturbed. Lord Mahavir declared that all the living beings are INTERDEPENDENT. Hence he exorted mankind to recognize this universal fact and stressed on "live and let live". The principle is "parasparopgrah Jivanam" or interdependence. Alas, the present day Jains do not make efforts on research or at least collect data of the above type and impress upon the fellow human beings that what Mahavir said more than 2500 years ago is being testified by scientists including the zoologists, biologists etc, TOLERANCE : this is the most fruitful principle pronounced by Lord .Mahavir. He said that truth is relative It may be computed as sevenfold. A man can be father, son, brother, cousin, father-in-law of his son's wife, brother-in-law, uncle and maternal uncle. All these are relative relationships and are co-existent in one man. Hence those who declare that only their religion or view is the only correct one are opposed to reason. The reality is that variance does exist and that has to be tolerated. If put to the touchstone of REASON, the false ones will die out but the fanatics take out swords and resort to forcible conversions, demolition and occupation of places of worship. This has been the experience of so many nations. But it may be remembered that Jainism did not spread by sword or force. If tolerance is practized, not only families but even nations will co-exist.(politicians seem to have realized) and there will be peace all around. But reasonable people may be counted on fingers. EQUALITY : Mahavir was greatly for equality. He did not discriminate between male and female in his religion of course, he admitted that female Sadhwis due to their physical limitations could not reach the standard which a sky- clad Muni could attain to. His Sangh included male Munis, female Sadhwis (called Aaryikas), males who had taken vows (known as SHRAWAKS) and females who had also taken vows (referred to as SHRA WIKAS) They moved with him in hundreds and thousands. Mahavir emphasized that caste system is discriminatory. It promotes hatred and false self-esteem. It is just an accident that one is born in an upper class and there is no guarantee that he will take another birth in an upper class. It is one's actions that makes one superior or a low person, There are idioms to describe such persons irrespective of position in the caste hierarchy. Caste system results in vested interests. In Mahavir's teachings, high or low are all free to practice Jain religion if they observe the Jain code of conduct, Any soul can liberate itself from the bondage of KARMAS. Innumerable souls have attained such a goal. For this no intermediary agency is needed. It was such a rational teaching of Mahavir that attracted all classes. Mahavir's equality meant freedom to all for pursuing the path of liberation. It was open to all classes high or low. lack of FREEDOM results in the evil sense of racial or caste superiority. NON-VIOLENCE: Perhaps it would not be exaggeration to say that the concept of non- violence has been expounded to the fullest extent by Mahavir. No aspect of life has escaped Mahavir's notice. He not only asked us to shun physical violence, but remarked that even if you, for instance, think of killing somebody, you are guilty of violence. This he called as BHAVAHINSA. How prophetic was he! The UN CHARTER also declares that wars generate in the minds of MAN. Meat-eating was also opposed by Mahavir. So Jainism did not spread in other countries as did one other religion which allowed meat eating. There were animal sacrifices in India at the time of Mahavir. He explained to the people the futility of animal sacrifices. To-day, we find the absence of animals being burnt alive in the name of religion. PROMOTION OF PEOPLE'S LANGUAGE : Mahavir always taught the high principles of good life in the language of the people which was Prakrit the language naturally spoken and understood by the people. A language limited to the few is not favorable for easy exposition. SELF-CONTROL : A pious, non-violent life requires the imposition of rules of good conduct, curbing the evil thoughts and belief and practice of rational principles of existence and not to be led away by the seemingly miracles of some superior agency. The number of such tales is abundantly seen even in highly developed societies though they do not satisfy the rational minds. The essence of the teachings of Mahavir is selfcontrol without which highest goal of life terminating the painful experience of births and rebirths or even making other people's life happy, full of freedom and free choice of opportunities to lead a spiritual or moral life on one's own without subjection to superiority or inferiority feeling is not possible. The present author draws the attention of one and all to the following passage from the Hindi translation of 'Toynbee- Ikeda Dialogue: Man Himself Must Choose' Hindi version is titled Srijanatamak Jeevan ki or' (pub. Oxford University Press Delhi) Here Ikeda is the Buddhist scholar and Toynbee, (as we know), a great philosopher-historian. Below is given English version of the dialogue. To a question of Ikeda, Toynbee replied as follows: "All higher religions and philosophies provide us similar opinion on the conduct of man. All of them teach us that the highest goal of man's life should be self-control. It should not be to satisfy his tendency of Greed by trying to overlord the rest of the universe." (p. 304) Can there be a disagreement with the rational rules of self -control enunciated by Mahavir and outlined above in brief?. Jain Tirthankars are called 'JINA' The root of this word is 'ji' which means to conquer. Thus a Tirthankar is one who has conquered his soul (Atma Jaya) or excels in self-control and having attained it has attained Nirvan.
Author
: Mr. Rajmal Jain Article
Published in 'Mahaveer Ki Janam Bhumi - Kundalpur' -------------------------------------------------- Mail
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