Jainism: Origins and Teachings

1.1 What does his name mean?

Mahavira means “Great Hero”. He was born Nataputta Vardhamana. The name Nata, Naya or Jnatr points to his family, the Jnatrika clan.

1.2 Who were his parents?

His father was King Siddhartha. His mother was Queen Trishala. The family belonged to the kshatriya (warrior and ruler) caste.

1.3 When and where was he born?

Nobody is sure. Tradition says he was born in 599 BCE at Kundagrama, near modern Patna. The Shvetambara and Digambara sects name different birthplaces. Sources also dispute where he taught and where he died.

1.4 Was he the founder of Jainism?

Not quite. Jains see him as the 24th and last Tirthankara of this age. Scholars call him the rediscoverer of its principles, more than its founder.

2.1 Why did he leave home?

He lived in his parents’ palace until they died. That was shortly before his 30th birthday. Then he gave up his possessions and became a wandering monk.

2.2 What did the penance involve?

He fasted and bore heat and cold. He refused every temptation to turn back. At first he kept one robe. Later he gave that up too.

2.3 Where did he become all-knowing?

After 12 years of discipline he reached complete knowledge. This is called Kevala Jnana, or omniscience. One account puts it at age 43 under a Sala tree. Another says 42.

2.4 Which river is linked to it?

Two early texts, the Acaranga and the Kalpa Sutra, name the Rju-valuka river. The village was Jambhiya. Exam questions spell it Rijupalika.

2.5 How did his life end?

He died at 72 at Pavapuri. Tradition dates this to 527 BCE. The Digambara date is 510 BCE. Today the site is placed near Bihar Sharif in Patna district. By then he had a community of about 14,000 monks and 36,000 nuns.

3.1 What is a Tirthankara?

The word means “maker of the ford”. A ford is a place to cross a river. Tirthankaras show the way to cross the ocean of rebirth. Jains also call them Jinas, or “conquerors”. Jainism takes its name from that word.

3.2 How many are there?

Each cycle of time has 24 Jinas. All 24 of the present cycle have already come. Rishabha (also called Adinatha) was first. Mahavira was last. Jains worship all 24.

3.3 Which ones are historical?

There is no historical evidence for the first 22. Parshva, the 23rd, probably lived about 250 years before Mahavira. He is the only other Tirthankara scholars treat as historical.

Sources: Encyclopedia.com and World History Encyclopedia.

3.4 How are the images told apart?

Each Tirthankara has an emblem, usually an animal. Digambara and Shvetambara lists differ in a few places. Attendants called Yakshas and Yakshinis stand beside the Tirthankaras.

D means the Digambara list and S the Shvetambara list. Makara is a sea creature, often drawn like a crocodile. That gloss is general knowledge, not from our sources.

4.1 What are the Three Jewels?

The Three Jewels are the path to liberation. Together they are called Ratnatraya.

• Right faith (samyak darshana): avoid superstition and seek the truth.
• Right knowledge (samyak jnana): understand the universe.
• Right conduct (samyak charitra): lead a disciplined life.

4.2 What are the Five Great Vows?

Monks and nuns keep these vows in full.

• Ahimsa: non-violence.
• Satya: truthfulness.
• Asteya: non-stealing.
• Brahmacharya: celibacy.
• Aparigraha: non-attachment.

4.3 What did Mahavira add?

Parshva taught four vows. Mahavira added celibacy as the fifth.

4.4 What do lay Jains follow?

Householders take five Small Vows, called anuvrata. They parallel the Great Vows. Most take twelve vows of Jain living. They keep them as far as daily life allows.

4.5 How far does ahimsa go?

It underlies Jain vegetarianism. But it goes deeper than diet. It includes not teasing people. It also means not wasting food, paper or electricity.

5.1 What do Jains say about the soul?

Everything has a soul, called a jiva. That includes plants and animals. Each soul is independent. It can be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth.

5.2 What is karma for Jains?

Karma is a physical substance. It sticks to the soul. Hinduism and Buddhism call karma action. Jainism treats it as matter. A life of self-discipline can ward off bad karma and wear it away.

5.3 Is there a creator god?

No. Jains do not believe in a single creator-god. The soul must free itself by its own effort.

5.4 What is anekantavada?

It means the many-sidedness of truth. The story of the elephant and the blind men shows it. One touches the trunk and says snake. Another touches the tail and says rope. Each is partly right.

5.5 What are syadvada and saptabhangi?

Many-sidedness leads to a sevenfold way of making statements. Each statement carries the word syat, a marker of uncertainty. The scheme is called saptabhangi.

6.1 What is a gati?

A gati is a state of existence. A soul moves between gatis as its karma plays out.

6.2 What are the four?

• Deva-gati: heavenly beings.
• Manushya-gati: humans.
• Tiryancha-gati: animals and plants.
• Naraka-gati: hellish beings.

6.3 Are Yakshas a gati?

No. Yakshas are attendants of the Tirthankaras. That is why they are not among the four forms of existence. Examiners use this gap.

7.1 How did Jainism split?

The two main sects are the Digambara (sky-clad) and the Shvetambara (white-clad). Tradition links the split to a famine at the end of Chandragupta’s reign. Monks left the Ganges valley for the Deccan. Scholars date it either to the third century BCE or the first century CE.

Source: Encyclopedia.com on Jainism.

7.2 Who was Bhadrabahu?

He led the monks who went south. They kept the custom of nudity. The group that stayed in the north adopted a white garment.

7.3 When were the teachings written down?

Mahavira’s teachings were written down long after his death. This is why the sects hold different canons.

8.1 Which question types come up?

Four questions from recent papers show the pattern. Newest first.

8.2 What traps repeat?

• A real idea in the wrong group: Yaksha is real, but it is not a gati.
• A Digambara fact given to the Shvetambara: the southward move is Digambara.
• Four against five vows: Parshva taught four. Mahavira added a fifth.
• Founder against rediscoverer: Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara.