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Mahāvīra
Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his life are uncertain and varies by sect, historians generally consider that he lived during the 6th or 5th century BCE, reviving and reforming a proto-Jain community (which had possibly been founded by Pārśvanātha), and that he was an older contemporary of Gautama Buddha. Jains regard him as the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''Tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. According to traditional legends and hagiographies, Mahavira was born in the early 6th century BCE to a royal Kshatriya Jain family of ancient India. His mother's name was Trishala and his father's name was Siddhartha. According to the second chapter of the Śvētāmbara Ācārāṅga Sūtra, Siddhartha and his family were devotees of Parshvanatha. Mahavira abandoned all worldly po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pārśvanātha
''Pārśvanātha'' (), or and ''Pārasanātha'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankara, tīrthaṅkaras'' ("Ford-Maker" or supreme preacher of Dharma (Jainism), Dharma) of Jainism. According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Aśvasena and Queen Vāmādevī of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north west Indian city of Benaras , Varanasi in 9th century BCE. Pārśvanātha is the earliest Jaina ''tīrthaṅkaras'' who is acknowledged as possibly a historical figure: with some teachings attributed to him that may be accurately recorded, and a possible historical nucleus within the legendary accounts of his life from traditional hagiographies. Historians consider that he may actually have lived between 8th to 6th century BCE, founding a proto-Jaina Śramaṇa, ascetic community which subsequently got revived and reformed by Mahavira, Mahāvīra (6th or 5th century BCE). According to traditional Jaina sources, Pārśvanātha was born 273 years before Mahavira, Mahāvīra, which pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four , supreme preachers of ''dharma''. The first in the current time cycle is Rishabhadeva, who tradition holds lived millions of years ago; the 23rd is Parshvanatha, traditionally dated to the 9th century Common Era, BCE; and the 24th is Mahāvīra, Mahavira, who lived . Jainism is considered an eternal ''dharma'' with the guiding every time cycle of the Jain cosmology, cosmology. Central to understanding Jain philosophy is the concept of ''bhedavijñāna'', or the clear distinction in the nature of the soul and non-soul entities. This principle underscores the innate purity and potential for liberation within every Jīva (Jainism), soul, distinct from the physical and menta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jain Schools And Branches
Jainism is an Indian religion which is traditionally believed to be propagated by twenty-four spiritual teachers known as ''tirthankara''. Broadly, Jainism is divided into two major schools of thought, Digambara and Śvetāmbara. These are further divided into different sub-sects and traditions. While there are differences in practices, the core philosophy and main principles of each sect is the same. Schism Traditionally, the original doctrine of Jainism was contained in scriptures called Purva. There were fourteen Purva. These are believed to have originated from Rishabhanatha, the first '' tirthankara''. There was a twelve-year famine around fourth century BCE. The undivided Jain sangha was headed by Acharya Krishnasuri, who initiated Sivabhuti as a monk. As a result of his rebellion, anger, and gross misinterpretation of the canonical scriptures of Jainism, he began roaming naked and propagating that public nudity was accepted as per Jain scriptures. The sect that continu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Śvetāmbara
The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the ''Digambara'' or "sky-clad" Jains whose ascetic practitioners go nude. Śvetāmbaras do not believe that ascetics must practice nudity. The Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions have had historical differences ranging from their dress code, their temples and iconography, attitude towards Jain nuns, their legends and the texts they consider as important. Śvetāmbara Jain communities are currently found mainly in Gujarat, Rajasthan and coastal regions of Maharashtra. According to Jeffery D. Long, a scholar of Hindu and Jain studies, about four-fifths of all Jains in India are Śvetāmbaras. History and lineage Śvetāmbaras consider themselves to be the original followers of Maha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Digambara
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing nor wearing any clothes. Nakedness was the ideal practice of lord Mahavira and his immediate followers. Mahavira emphasized the importance of nakedness for monks. It symbolizes complete detachment and is an ideal form of conduct. Mahavira believed that renouncing clothes made the body immune to external influences like heat and cold, increasing resilience. Without clothes, a monk would avoid the distractions of acquiring, maintaining, and washing garments, allowing him to focus on spiritual growth and self-discipline. Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions have had historical differences ranging from their dress code, their temples and iconography, attitude towards female monastics, their legends, and the texts the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nalanda District
Nalanda district is one of the thirty-eight Districts of Bihar, districts of the state of Bihar in India. Bihar Sharif is the administrative headquarters of this district. The districts is home to the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nalanda is located in the Magadh region of southern Bihar. In Jainism * The 24th Jainism, Jaina Tirthankara Mahavira, ''Mahāvīra'' is said to have spent 'many Chaturmasya, ''Cāturmāsyas'' (rainy seasons)' at ''Nālandā''. Canonical scriptures of the ''Śvetāmbara'' sect also mention that ''Nālandā'' was known by other names such as ''Nālandāpada'' and ''Nālandā Sanniveśa''. The texts further highlight that it was a suburb of ''Rajgir, Rājagṛha''. ''Mahāvīra'' is said to have had met ''Makkhali Gosala, Makkhali-gosāla'', the leader of the Ājīvika, ''Ājīvakas'', for the first time at ''Nālandā''. * Jaina tradition records that some of ''Mahāvīra's Ganadhara, Gaṇadharas'' (disciples), namely ''Gautama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajjika League
The Vajjika (Pāli: ) or Vrijika () League, Confederacy, or Sangha, also called simply Vajji (Pāli: ) or Vriji (), was an ancient Indo-Aryan league which existed during the later Iron Age period in the north-eastern Indian subcontinent. Name The Vajjika League was named after one of its constituent tribes, the Vajjikas proper, who had once been the most powerful tribe in the region of the league's capital of Vesālī. According to Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, the name , meaning "united Vajjis," was given by the peoples of northern South Asia to the Vajjika League. The larger region of the former Mahā-Videha kingdom in which the Vajjika League was located was in turn named after the confederacy. Constituent tribes The Vajjika League was a league of republican tribal states under the leadership of the Licchavikas centred around the city of Vesālī. The other members of the league were the Vaidehas in the Mithila region, the Nāyikas (Skt. *Jñātrika) of Kuṇḍapura, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nāya
Nāya ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern Indian subcontinent whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Nāya, the Nāyikas, were organised into a (an aristocratic oligarchic republic), presently referred to as the Nāya Republic, which was part of the larger Vajjika League. Location The Nāyikas lived in the territory of the former kingdom of Mahā-Videha, whose borders were the Sadānirā river in the west, the Kauśikī river in the east, the Gaṅgā river in the south, and the Himālaya mountains in the north. The Nāyikas themselves were principally located in a small area around a minor town called either Kuṇḍagāma (Kuṇḍagrāma in Sanskrit) or Kuṇḍapura in Pāli, which served as the Nāyika capital and was located somewhere close to the Licchavika and Vajjika capital of Vesālī to its northeast. Other Nāyika settlements included a northeastern suburb of Vesālī named Koll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jain Cosmology
Jain cosmology is the description of the shape and functioning of the Universe (''loka'') and its constituents (such as living beings, matter, space, time etc.) according to Jainism. Jain cosmology considers the universe as an uncreated entity that has existed since infinity with neither beginning nor end. Jain texts describe the shape of the universe as similar to a man standing with legs apart and arms resting on his waist. This Universe, according to Jainism, is broad at the top, narrow at the middle and once again becomes broad at the bottom. Six eternal substances According to Jains, the Universe is made up of six simple and eternal substances called ''dravya'' which are broadly categorized under Jiva (Living Substances) and Ajiva (Non Living Substances) as follows: ''Jīva (Jainism), Jīva'' (Living Substances) * Jīva (Jainism), Jīva i.e. Souls – ''Jīva'' exists as a reality, having a separate existence from the body that houses it. It is characterised by ''chetan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bimbisara
Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories ( or ) was the King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi 262010p. 166f. or ) and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.Peter N. Stearns (2001), ''The Encyclopedia of World History''. Houghton Mifflin, p. 76 ff. . He was the son of Bhattiya. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan Empire. According to Jain Tradition, he is said to be the first Tirthankara (''will be named as Padmanabha / Mahapadma'') out of 24th Tirthankara of the future cosmic age. He frequently visited Samavasarana of Lord Mahavira seeking answers to his queries. According to Buddhist Tradition, he is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. According to the 7th century Chinese monk Xuanzang, Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavira Janma Kalyanaka
Mahavira Janma Kalyanaka is one of the most important religious festivals in Jainism. It celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and last Tīrthaṅkara (supreme preacher) of present Avasarpiṇī. On the Gregorian calendar, the festivity occurs either in March or April. Birth According to Jain texts, Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of '' Chaitra'' in the year 599 BC (Chaitra Sud 13). According to Shvetambara tradition, he was born in Kshatriyakund of Bihar. Some modern historians consider Kundagram (which is today's Kundalpur in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar) as his birthplace. He was born in a democratic kingdom (Ganarajya), Vajji, where the king was chosen by votes. Vaishali was its capital. He was named Vardhamana, meaning "One who grows", because of the increased prosperity in the kingdom at the time of his birth. In Vasokund, Mahavira is revered by the villagers. A place called ''Ahalya bhumi'' has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavira (other)
Mahavira may refer to: * Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ... (599–527 BCE), 24th and last Jain Tirthankara (enlightened reformer) in the current avsarpini (cosmological cycle of Jainism); a contemporary of the Buddha and considered to be the historical founder of Jainism * Another name for Hanuman, Hindu god, devotee of Rama in the Indian epic ''Ramayana'' * Mahāvīra (mathematician), 9th-century Indian Jain mathematician * Mahavira Hall, main hall of a Buddhist temple in China, Korea and Vietnam * ''Mahaveera'' (film), 1988 Indian film * '' Mahavira: The Hero of Nonviolence'', a book about the founder of Jainism * Shri Mahaveer Ji (town), a town and pilgrimage centre in Rajasthan, India ** Shri Mahaveer Ji temple, a Mahavira Jain temple in the town ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
