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LECTURE – 2 by ATYAB ALI ZAIDI

ANCIENT HISTORY:
BUDDHISM AND JAINISM
MAURYAN AND POST MAURYAN
TAMIL SANGAM
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Origin of new Cults:

 Many sects emerged in 5th and 6th C BC, known
as Heteredox sects (in total 63), each one
challenging the dominance of Brahmanical
religion/vedic religion. Out of these 63, three
became very famous and accepted – Jainism,
Buddhism and Ajivika.
 (Note: Ajivika Sect did not have any followers
after 14th C AD.)
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Several reasons are attributed to the emergence of

these new faiths like:
 Emergence of material culture resulted into division of
society between have and have nots, which lead to
conflicts between the two.
 The complexities of Vedic religion kept increasing and
only Brahman class had the authority to interpret it.
 Violence had increased to a great extent. Number of
sacrifices increased and lower castes had to give their
animals at the will of Kshatriya and Brahmans. This
caused huge economic loss to the lower castes as
domestication of animal was still a major occupation.
 Castes which were based on occupation in early Vedic
period, became hereditary in later Vedic times. This
lead to ill treatment and exploitation of these people.
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Jainism:
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Jainism:

 The spiritual leaders which shaped the idea

and philosophy of Jainism are called
Tirthankars.
 According to Jain Tradition, there have been
24 Tirthankars.
 The first Tirthankar of Jainism was Rishabh
Dev.
 Historical records of only last two Tirthankars
are found – Parsavnath (23rd) and Vardhaman
Mahavir (24th)
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Parsavnath ji:
 Parsavnath was the 23rd Tirthankar. He was
born at Kashi (Banaras).
 Historically he was separated from Vardhaman
by 250 years.
 His followers were called Nirgranthis ( Free
from all bonds).
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 Vardhaman:
 Vardhaman is believed to the real founder of the
modern Jainism. His followers are called Jains. He
was later known as ‘MAHAVIRA’.
 Biography of Vardhaman:
 Vardhaman himself was born to Nirgranthi
parents (Followers of Parsavnath). The
information about his life is received from Jain
texts – Purvas, Angas and Upangas, written in
4th – 6th C AD in Prakrit language. Prakrit was the
language of the masses while Sanskrit was the
language of the elite class.
 Other source is the Hathigumpha inscription of
Harvela (Odisha) in 1st C BC. It is the oldest cave
temple found in India.
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Relation Name
Father Siddharth
Mother Trishala
Clan Janantrika
Caste Kshatriya
Wife Yashoda
Daughter Priyadarshika
Son In law Jamali (First disciple of
Vardhman)
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According to Jain texts and

traditions
 Vardhaman left his house at the age of 30 and
wandered for 12 years.
 At the age of 42 years, he attained the Supreme
knowledge (Kaivalya) under a Sal tree in 498 BC at a
place called Trimbhigram on the bank of River
Rijupalika (Jharkhand).
 After attaining Kaivalya, he became Jina i.e. the
conqueror of the senses. After this he was called
Mahavira.
 He preached for the first time in the five hills of
Nalanda – Vipulchak.
 At the age of 72 (468 BC) he attained Nirvana (died)
at Pavapuri (Nalanda).
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Jain Philosophy:

 Fundamentals:
 Jainism believes in the philosophy of Triratnas
(Three jewels) –
 Right knowledge
 Right Faith
 Right Conduct
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 Right Conduct consists of Five aspects:

 Non – Violence: Not to kill or harm any living creature. At
that period, trees were considered living so cutting of trees
was allowed. However it was advised not to do agriculture as
ploughing of land might kill the small organisms and insects.
Hence, peasants were not attracted towards this new faith
and it was more famous amongst traders and businessmen.
 Not to Steal: Do not try to take what is not yours rightfully.
 Not to Accumulate: Leads to a problem of haves and have
nots. It discouraged hoarding or keeping more than what is
required.
 Not to tell A lie: Not to give wrong information to others.
 Celibacy: Celibacy in Jainism is slightly different than that of
Hinduism. In Hinduism celibacy means not to marry or not to
have a relationship with the other sex.
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In Jainism, apart from the above two, some

more conditions are there like:
 Not to see the opposite sex.
 Not to talk to the opposite sex.
 Not to touch the opposite sex.
 Not to feel about the opposite sex.
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Philosophy:
 The Creator: There is no creator. It does not believe in
a supreme God. Tirthankars are the highest authority.
 The Universe: The universe is eternal. It has no
beginning and no end and it is moving in a cyclic
fashion. It moves in phases of Highs and Lows:
 High phase: Avsarpani – during this phase people
have a long life (200 – 300 years) and they are very
tall (40-50 ft).
 Low phase: Utsarpani – During this phase people
have shorter life span (15 – 20 years) and short height
(2 -3 feet)
 Universe is composed of living and non – living
elements.
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 The Soul: Soul exists in both living and

non – living elements.
 Where ever there is soul, there is suffering
(Dukka). There are three types of elements – rocks
and metals (One soul), Trees ( two souls) and
Animals/humans (three souls). It is prohibited to
kill the elements which have three souls.
 Afterlife: They believe in afterlife and rebirth. One
is trapped in the cycle of life. Till one doesn’t get
free from Dukka, one cannot get Nirvana
(freedom from the cycle of Death).
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How to get NIRVANA?

 According to Jainism, Soul is surrounded by

Karma (Action).
 Karma has four aspects – Inherent and outside as
well as Good or bad.
 In order to get Nirvana, one has to free himself
from all Karma, whether good or bad, inherent
or outside. This state of no Karma is called the
state of Shunya.
 There are certain Dos and Don’ts to achieve this:
 Dos – Live an Ascetic life, to give up clothes.
 Don’ts – One should have no attachments.
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Digambers and Shwetambers

 There was a severe famine in Magadha, in 3rd C BC, some of the Jain
monks migrated south under the guidance of the Saint Bhadrabahu.
Emperor Chandragupta Maurya was with them who also came to South,
Shravanbelgola. He was also a Jain and at Shravanbelgola, he performed
‘Santhara’. Santhara is a practice of fast unto death. This is done to get
rid of Karma.
 (Note: Recently, Santhara was in news, and a debate was going
whether Euthanasia (Voluntary death) should be allowed or not.)
 The monks who stayed in the north at Magadha were under the
leadership of Saint Sthulabhadra.
 After the famine was over, Bhadrabahu returned to Magadha, but he
found that the practice of the Jains in the north has been corrupted and
they have started wearing the clothes.
 The followers of Bhadrabahu are called ‘Digambers’ (literally to wear sky)
and the followers of Sthulbhadra are called Shwetambers (to wear
whitecloth)
 Digambers are more strict in their practices – they don’t wear cloth, sleep
on floor without a bed, get their hair pulled out (Kesh Lochan) and
performed Santhara (giving up food and water until they die.)
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Buddhism:
 Literary sources to know about Buddha and Buddhism are –
 1) Tripitakas ( literally – three baskets): These are the three major
texts on Buddhism.
 Vinaya pitaka – rules of monasteries
 Sutta pitaka – Teachings of Buddha
 Abhidhamma Pitaka – Metaphysics and philosophy of Buddhism.
 2) Jataka Tales:
 They are the part of Sutta Pitaka but contain all the stories of
Buddha’s previous lives (more than 550 births in all).
 3) Ashokan Dhamma
 4) Mahavastu and Divyadane (texts written in Srilanka)
 5) Buddha Charitra: This is an autobiography of Buddha, written
in 1-2 C AD, by Ashvaghosa in Sanskrit.
 The problem with all these literary sources is that, that they have
not been written in Buddha’s time, so they do not give the exact
picture.
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Story of Buddha
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 4 Sites – Old man, sick man, dead body and a

monk

 Left home at 29 with Channa and Kanthak

 Met 4 brahmans and meditated
 At 35, sat under a ‘Peepal’ tree on the bank of river
Niranjana at Bodhgaya.
 ‘Mara’, a demon, tried to disturb Buddha and
brought Hurricane, flood, Earthquake, badnews
and finally, he brought his three beautiful
daughter. But all of that failed to move Buddha.
 After 49 days, Siddhartha got enlightenment and
became – ‘Buddha’ (Nirvana)
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 After enlightenment, he meditated again for 49

days
 went to Sarnath (Dear Park) and gave his first
sermon (Dharma Chakra Parivartan)
 preached in most parts of the modern day UP
and Bihar. He followed several rules in his
schedule – Never stayed for more than one
night in a village and three nights in a city. He
preached in all seasons except monsoon. He
stayed for maximum nights at Shravasti.
 In 483BC, at the age of 80, he attained
‘Mahaparinirvan’ i.e. died at Kushinagar Dist.
Of Eastern UP.
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Teachings and Principles:

According to Buddhism, there are four noble
truths (Arya Satya)
 Existence of Sorrow – Dukkha
 Cause of Sorrow – Desire or Maya
 There is a way to get rid of Sorrow – Hope
 Follow the eight fold path to get Nirvana.
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Ashtangika Marg
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Buddhist Philosophy:

 God: Buddha remains silent on the question of God.

He has neither accepted nor rejected the existence
of God.
 Universe: There is a beginning and there will be an
end of the Universe.
 Soul: Soul exists but not for forever. It can die.
Buddha also believed in rebirth.
 Rebirth: Life after death and rebirth are there due to
sorrow. In order to remove sorrow, one has to free
himself from ‘Karma’. That’s the state of Nirvana. In
Buddhism, it can be achieved within lifetime by an
Ascetic life.
 Parinirvana can be achieved only after death.
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Buddhist Council:
Buddhist Council Year Place Presided by

1st Council 483 BC Rajgriha Mahakasappa

2nd Council: 383 BC Vaishali Shatakhambri

3rd Council: 250-262 BC Patliputra Moghiputta Tissa

4th Council: 1st Century AD Kunzalwar Vasumitra and

Ashwaghosha
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At the fourth council the Buddhism got divided

into two sects:
Hinayana and Mahayana
 Hinayana (lower vehicle) is followed in
Southern parts (Srilanka, Combodia, Thailand
etc). They are more strict and objected to
making of idols of Buddha.
 Mahayana (higher vehicle) is followed in
northern parts (china, India, Tibet etc). They
started making idols and were liberal in
approach.
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Reasons for popularity of

Buddhism:
 Simple philosophy/ free from rituals
 Middle path as compared to Jainism and
Ajivikas
 Open to all varnas
 Open to all classes
 Royal patronage
 Lot of donations from traders
 Used language of masses
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Buddhist Sangha:
Buddhist Sangha was the Buddhist religious order in
which Buddhist monks had to live in a certain
manner.
Rules for entering the Sangha:
 Age should be at least 15 years.
 No criminal charges should be pending. If a
person was convicted and has served the term
than he is allowed.
 Person should not be under debt.
 Must not be suffering from a communicable
disease.
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Code of Conduct:
 Meal was served only once a day.
 Not to sleep on comfortable bed.
 Not to wear any ornaments
 Not to drink
 Not to indulge in any corrupt practices
 Not to have any relationship with the opposite sex
 Dress code: simple unstitched clothes
 Had to ask for bhiksha (begging) from nearby
villages. It was believed that asking for bhiksha
killed the ego.
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Significance of the code of

Conduct:
 To establish a disciplined order
 It helped in resolving the conflicts of the
contemporary society like differences between
rich and poor, and powerful and weak.
 It is believed, that possibly Buddha wanted to
replicate the same in the society.
However, later, the money started pouring in, in
the Sangh and monks got inclined towards the
materialistic pleasures. From this point the pure
Buddhism started decaying.
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Mauryan Empire:
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Before the Mauryan period, the Janapadas got

condensed into larger kingdoms called
Mahajanapadas. There were 16 major
Mahajanapadas and out of them 5 were very
strong and important.
 Magadha
 Avanti
 Kashi
 Koshala
 Vajji
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Mauryan Dynasty: (321 – 185

BC)
 Chandragupta Maurya - (321- 298 BC)
 Bindusara – (298 – 273 BC)
 Ashoka – (273 – 232 BC)
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Possible Dimensions from which a

question can be asked on Mauryan
Dynasty
 Contributions of Chandragupta and Ashoka
 Source of information
 Arthashastra
 Indica by Megasthanes
 Mauryan Art and Ashokan edicts
 Decline of Mauryan empire
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Chandragupta Maurya
(Sandrochotus/Androchotus in Greek
records):
 He was trained by Chanakya or Vishnugupta, a
Brahmin Guru at Taxila.
 He defeated Seleucus Necator, the successor of
Alaxander, and conquered Kabul, Kandhahar, Herat
and Baluchistan.
 Later, they became friend and exchanged gifts. In
one record it is mentioned that Chandragupta gifted
500 elephants to Seleucus Necator.
 For the first time in Indian history, he laid down the
foundation of a centralized Administration.
 According to a Jain text, he came to
Shravanbelagola, in Karnataka, with the Jain monk
Bhadrabahu and performed Santhara.
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Bindusara (Amitrachotus):
 He invaded Southern and western India, as
per Tamil Sources (Sangam lit.)
 He requested a Syrian King, Antiochus I,
through an ambassador to send three things:
Philosopher, Sweet wine and Figs. Sweet wine
and figs were sent, however, a philosppher
wasn’t sent.
 Bindusara was the follower of Ajivika Sect. It
was the third important sect apart from
Buddhism and Jainism.
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Ashoka
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Ashoka:
 Ashoka was not the eldest son of Bindusara.
 A Buddhist legend says that Ashoka killed 99 of his
brothers
 He was initially a believer of Shiva, and later got
converted to Buddhism.
 In the 8th year of his coronation, 261 BC, Kalinga war
was fought.
 After seeing such devastation, he had a change of
heart and he gave up ‘Bherighosha’ – policy of
waging wars and adopterd ‘Dhamma Ghosha’ –
policy of conquering the hearts of the people.
 exempted Bali (a form of tax) and reduced the rate of
Bhaga (land revenue) to 1/8th of the previous rate.
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Ashokan Dhamma:
 Dhamma is a Pali word which is written as Dharma in
Sanskrit. In correct sense, Ashokan Dhamma, is not
exactly a religion, but a ‘Moral code of conduct’.
 Through this Ashoka wanted to establish a peaceful
and coherent society in which every sect should
respect and honour the other sect.
 Non – Violence against man as well as animals.
 Protection of trees
 Obeying the parents
 Respecting elders and teachers
 Loving the neighbours and slaves.
 To implement this code, he appointed a new officer
called ‘Dhamma Mahamatya’.
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Ashokan Edicts:
Edicts can be understood as ancient notice
boards which were put so that public can read
and understand the government orders.
Following types of edict are found:
 Major Rock Edicts
 Minor Rock Edicts
 Cave Edicts
 Pillar edicts
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Major Rock Edicts (MRE):

 14 major rock are found at eight places.
 Three languages were used – Prakrit, Greek and
Armaic.
 Major Rock edicts contains the directives to his
Subjects. Ashoka had promised to follow these
himself.
Important rock edicts and messages:
 MRE 1 : Non violence – not to kill animals.
 MRE 7 and MRE 12 : Talks about religious tolerance
 MRE 13: Talks about Kalingawar. ( Ashoka’s
opponent in this war is not known.)
 MRE 14: Importance of Dhamma
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Minor rock Edicts:

 Minor rock edicts have been found from 15

places in India.
 They are written in Prakrit in Brahmi script.
 They deal with his interest in Buddhism.
The name ‘Ashok’ was discovered for the first time
on a minor rock edict. In 1915, Maski in
Karnataka, the name Ashoka was mentioned
along with his title – Ashoka Devanampiya
Piyadassi. (Devanampiya – dear to Gods;
Piyadassi – Good looking).
 Otherwise in all other edicts only the title –
‘Devanampiya Piyadassi’ is mentioned.
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Thank You