Mumbai: As the world degenerates and regenerates, the Jains believe worthy beings will appear on earth as they have since time immemorialSix hundred years before Jesus Christ, around the time the Sakya prince, Gautama, become the Buddha, another prince walked away from his palace to become a hermit. After years of meditation and contemplation, the hermit attained perfect enlightenment the mysteries of the cosmos unfolded before him. He shared his wisdom with the rest of humanity before ascending to his heavenly abode.
The hermit's name was Vardhamana. He lived in the land known today as Bihar. He became renowned as the Jina, the true conqueror, and specifically as Mahavira, the bravest of the braves who confronted the material world and triumphed over it. He had done something that even the gods could not do. He was therefore greater than the gods, worthy of worship. He was recognised as Tirthankara, the seer who finds the ford that takes everyone across the river of material misery. His words form the foundation of Jainism the non-violent path of true conquerors. It advocates truth, simplicity, purity and continence.
But Mahavira is not the founder of Jainism. He merely transmitted the eternal wisdom of the cosmos. This has happened before. The cosmos has been revealing its wisdom to many Tirthankaras who have walked this earth since the dawn of time.
According to Jain metaphysics, the cosmos has no beginning or end; it is forever going through alternate cycles of degeneration and regeneration known as Avasarpini and Utasarpini. In Avasarpini life on earth worsens while in Utasarpini things improve. In each cycle there appear 63 worthy beings known as Salakapurushas. These include:
>>24 Tirthankaras
>>12 Chakravartis
>>9 triads of heroes (27 in all), each triad comprising of a gentle hero called Baladeva, a violent hero called Vasudeva and a villain called Prativasudeva.
A Tirthankara or bridge-finder is a wise seer who rediscovers the Jaina way. To the Jains, he is greater than the gods because he transcends the laws of Space and Time. In the Jain worldview, actions or karma are responsible for ensnaring the soul in the flesh and for entrapping all beings in the material world. The Tirthankara provides all creatures with the means to liberate the soul from the confines of the body and to rise towards bliss, enlightenment and release from the eternal cycle of rebirth. He advocates continence, truth, non-violence, simplicity and purity for those who seek liberation. Every Tirthankara is represented by a symbol.
The first Tirthankara Rishabha is represented by a bull. The last, Mahavira, is represented by a lion. Of interest is Nemi, the twenty-second Tirthankara, represented by a conch-shell, who is said to be the cousin of Krishna, who is worshipped by Hindus. He is said to have renounced the world on the eve of his marriage after witnessing the plight of animals being slaughtered for his wedding feast.
A Chakravarti is the emperor of the world, lord of the material realm. Though he possesses worldly power, he often finds his ambitions dwarfed by the enormity of the cosmos. One of the greatest Chakravartis mentioned in Jain scriptures is Bharata in whose memory India came to be known as "Bharata-varsha". After conquering the whole world, King Bharata, brimming with pride, sought to inscribe his great feat on the slopes of Mount Meru.
To his great dismay, he found names of many other kings carved on Meru. Like him, they too had conquered the world. He was not the first man to do so. He was not the last. There were many before him, there were many after him. Bharata, humbled by the experience, returned to his kingdom to do his duty, aware that his actions were not unique and that his existence was not special.
A Vasudeva is a hero who appears on earth from time to time to save the world from the villain Prativasudeva. He is always accompanied by a wiser, older and gentler elder brother known as Baladeva. The Baladeva upholds the Jain principle of non-violence. The Vasudeva however forsakes this principle for the good of humanity as he kills the Prativasudeva. Two very famous Vasudevas mentioned in the Jain scriptures are Lakshmana and Krishna. In the Jain Ramayana, the Rakshasa-king Ravana who abducts Sita, wife of Prince Rama of Ayodhya, is killed by Lakshmana. Rama refrains from doing so. By adhering to non-violence, he earns the more exalted rank of a Baladeva. In the Jain Mahabharata, Krishna participates in the great Kurukshetra war supporting the Pandavas against the Kauravas to rid the world of unrighteous kings. He thus becomes a Vasudeva. His elder brother Sankharshana is the Baladeva because he refuses to fight the war and chooses to renounce the world instead.
Disclaimer > This column attempts to explain sacred beliefs in the spirit of genuine and respectful curiosity without claiming any authority on the same.
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