MAHAVIRA SAMANA & SRAMANA

SAMANA & SRAMANA

In Prakrit language there is a word “Samana” sramana is its sanskrit form which has three meanings.

1. SRAMA:- One who exerts himself or has diligence (srama)
2. SAMA :- One who maintains equanimity and is calm (sama)
3. SAMA :- One who treats every one equally (sama).

In these three main principles the Sramana culture is grounded namely exertion equanimity and equality. From the beginning of civilization it has been engaged in the practice and dissemination of these three principles. This culture had been developed by Bhagavan Rasbha and he was its pioneer. Bhagavan  Parsva was the ardent follower of this tradition. He was the prince of Varanasi and he was the twenty third Tirthankara. He was born in 877 B.C. and was initiated in 847 B.C.

That Ahimsha came to Occupy the character of a collective spiritual discipline and underwent  a qualitative change mainly due to twenty third tirthankara. Ahimsa was regarded as a personal discipline before Parsva Nath and it was due to his efforts it was transferred into a social force.

The old concept of sramana is the modern version of Ahimsa.

Three meanings are included here concerning  the term Sramana. One cannot be a follower of ahimsa if he does earn his living by his own exertion nor can one who does not value peace in life. One cannot practise non- violence if he does not practise equality.

To the movement of Ahimsa Parsva Nath gave a rightful momentum as a result of which the people of Kasi, Kausala, Sindhu, Anga, Sauvira, Kuru & Panchal came under his influence.

As the first showers of the summer rain are welcome to those sweating in the heat of the summer sun in the same way the soothing message of Ahimsa came as a great relief to the victims of the wide-spread violence. By Bhagavan Parsva the movement made powerful again which had once grown weak. As a social ideal it made him very popular with his campaign to establish Ahimsa. Above the limitations of the old sramana tradition this made him rise automatically. He became a cosmopolitan figure at length. In 777 B.C. he attained nirvana.

With light the rising sun floods the whole world but everything is again plunged into darkness when the sun sets. Everyday this drama is enacted. Like the rising sun Parsva Nath appeared on the stage of history and with the light of ahimsa he enlivened the world. But the movement of ahimsa began to grow thin after his nirvana as his followers became ineffective and inactive. By the light of the sun every particle of the world shines. This elementary truth may be kept in mind. But the particles grow dark as soon as the sun sets. The fate of the history of mankind has been similar to this. With the advent of a great man on the scene thereopens a new chapter in the history. But soon after his death historical progress slows down and ultimately comes to a standstill.

With their own light those who illumine the world seldom shine by their own light. After the nirvana of Bhagavan Parsva hardly two hundred years had gone by when the steady onward movement of Ahimsa lost its force. That they began to await eagerly a new dawn to appear so much so that the dark forces of inaction, inequality and disquiet engulfed the people.

To make its presence felt everywhere the spring came with its followers. The forest trees began to stir with life having clad in the happy and colourful garments of new born leaves. With their sweet smell and spiring breeze it carried to distant corners of the fragrance laden flowers filled with atmosphere. In this atmosphere the sun rises in the morning of the thirteenth day of bright half of the lunar month of Chaitra.

A son was given birth to by Trisala. At a wonderful moment a wonderful baby was born. Everywhere there was cheerfulness. The parents and kinsmen of the child were very happy and began to beam with joy and jubilation.

Sometimes we say the birth of a child is an accident. But it is not so. In the endless chain of destiny it is a definite link. That a new born child comes all alone it is true, to the world bare handed. That its subtle body and mind contains indefinite potentialities is also equally true. Thirty years later it was this child came to be known as Mahavira. Overnight nobody can aspire to become a Mahavira. To build a personality of courage and valour it takes ages. In the case of Mahavira it had happened so also.

An old story is there on this score. Achala and Triprstha were the two sons of the king Prajapati of Potanpur. In the court a dance performance had been arranged one day. The absorbing art of the dancers had been watched by the king, the princes and the courtiers with great interest. Disturbing the performance & show suddenly a visitor entered the court and went straight to the king. The performance was suspended. The king stood up to receive the visitor and began to listen to him.

The prince Triprastha felt offended and enquired about the visitor. He was surprised how his father had given utmost attention to the visitor by suspending the performance of the court. That the visitor was the envoy of the king Asvagriva who was the overlord of the king Prajapati was not known to the prince. Hence when he knew the fact, the prince was put to silence. The prince accosted the envoy when the latter was about to return and the latter was warned not to disturb such functions in future. For the time being the envoy pocketed the insult and went home quietly. He went to the sovereign king and complained against the prince as to how he had been insulted. Asvagriva was enraged. To guard the rice fields Asvagriva dispatched another envoy  to potanpur to order Prajpati. In a dilemma Prajapati was put. The prince had been conveyed that the envoy avenged himself for the insult meted out to him by the prince and as a result of which he had been ordered to guard the rice fields out of turn. The prince promised to meet the situation himself and asked his father not to worry on the matter. To depute him to the rice fields he requested his father.

With a few soldiers, both the princes arrived at the rice fields. That a lion was at large stalking the valley had been informed by the man in charge of the fields and entreated the princes to protect the farmers.

Prince Triprstha decided to locate the lion immediately thinking it to be a long drawn out affair. He arrived at the lion’s den with the help of the local people. The lion was out with the beat of the soldiers. Prince Triprstha preferred to meet the lion bare – handed as he was a dare-devil. He threw away his weapons while jumping down from the chariot. The frantic lion rushed at the prince with a ferocious roaring sound. Like a worn out piece of cloth, the prince caught the jaws of the lion with both his hands and tore the beast into two to the amazement of the onlookers. The officer of the forest was informed afterwards. He was told to inform Asvagriva that the lion had been killed. The prince returned home afterwards.

 As the son of Sidhartha this very prince Triprstha was born after having gone through several cycles of birth and rebirths. In new field of operation his valour found in a unique way. Towards spiritual achievements it was now oriented. It had assumed spiritual dimensions. It was not an accidental change and yet. In the course of numerous previous births the new orientation was the logical conclusion and outcome of the sadhana performed by the soul. That every event has a chain of causes behind it. Let us not forget the same.

MOTHER’S DREAM

Nandivardhana was the son of Queen Trisala as her first son. As the second son the soul of Triprstha was born to her. On the right of her conceiving the child she felt an unprecedented joy. In a half waking state she saw a series of significant dreams. That she felt something extra ordinary she woke Siddhartha and told. “In my dream I saw an elephant and a bull and several other things. A very pleasant sensation has been felt. With light and joy the whole atmosphere was throbbing. I “Expect some extraordinary event to happen she reported to her husband”.

The situation had been sensed by Siddhartha and remarked by him. “You have seen a very auspicious dream – darling. To our family you will bring fortune as you are a fortunate lady. Queens’s joys knew no bounds. She retired to her bed – chamber in a state of exhilaration. One who has seen auspicious dream should not go to sleep again after one has awakened from that dream as per the saying goes. Hence for the rest of the night she remained awake.

To the far end of the earth the rays of the sun pierced. To the days business everyone has applied himself. With the queen the king sat in the audience. To summon the sooth Sayers to the audience he called upon the chief courtier.

Before the king the sooth Sayers presented themselves. On the queen’s dreams the king began to consult them.

The sooth Sayers examined the contents of the dreams dreamt by the queen, who had seen a very significant dream. She would give birth to a son who would be a Chakravarti. Her face flushed with the fore cast about her son becoming a Chakravarti. The king was very happy. Expectations are more thrilling than actual happening.

In the imagination of the king the picture of the Vaisali republic changed into the picture of an Empire which was grand indeed. But Siddhartha was stunned to imagine with the establishment of the expected Empire centering the values and ideals that would be practised in a gana – democracy. The freedom of man would be the ideals of democracy. In the life of the gana Siddhartha had been striving for the strengthening of these ideals and he had never been enamoured of the idea of the Empire. It was horrible to imagine his own son would destroy those ideals for which he became perplexed.

The readwigs had been analyzed by the sooth Sayers as follows.

“After a careful study of the dream of the queen, our prophecy needs an amendment”. Impatiently the king interfered and asked about the prophecy. The sooth Sayers told clearly the baby would be a Chakravarti no doubt, but he would preserve the ideals and values of the ganatantra of Vaisali. He would be a Dharma-Chakravarti. Who will be the emperor of the kingdom of religion. He will develop the ideals of Ahimsa.

Also he will develop the idea of co-existence, non-possessiveness, freedom and relativism and he will be a great exponent of all these values.

The perplexity of Siddhartha was over. He sighed a sigh of relief and thanked the sooth Sayers. Than the king the queen was no less happy. Into a pious mood their worldly joy changed. With passion it is alloyed. Perfectly pure is spiritual joy. By sorrow it can never be followed.

The sooth Sayers were amply rewarded by the king who applied himself to his routine duties.