1. THE ORGANIZATION OF VARNAS OR CLASSES
Just as there is an unusually large number of divisions in the
religious sphere of a small Jaina community, we witness the same
phenomenon, possibly in an aggravated form, in the social sphere of this
community. The Jainas, in the early stages of their history, were divided
into Varnas or classes and this Varna system was continued for a long
period. But later on the caste system developed among the Jainas on the
pattern of the Hindu caste system. To-day the Jainas are, more or less, as
caste-ridden as the Hindus are.
During the Vedic period (2000 B.C. to 300 B.C.) Parshvanatha was
the first person to launch a successful attack against the religious
beliefs and practices of Brahmanism and the same policy was vigorously
followed by Mahavira. The latter succeeded in getting a large number of
followers whom he organised into a compact social order quite distinct
from that of the Brahmanic social order of the Vedic period.
In the Vedic period society was class-ridden in the sense that
unusual importance was given to the Brahmin class to the detriment of
other classes and no-body was allowed to change his class. People widely
indulged in meat-eating and the sacrificial rites were the main religious
rites. Women were completely excluded from the religious field. Against
these glaring drawbacks of the Vedic Society, so far as the historical
period is concerned, Parshvanatha and Mahavira had to fight. They
recognised the division of society into four Varnas or Classes but based
them on activities and not on birth. They gave full freedom to one and
all, including women and Shudras, to observe religious practices and
admitted them into their religious order. They launched an attack against
meat-eating and the performance of sacrificial rites. The doors of Jainism
were thrown open to all and equal opportunity was given to everybody to
practise religion according to his capacity. Those who followed religion
as house-holders were known as Shravakas and Shravikas and those who
observed it fully by leaving their houses were called as Sadhus and
Sadhvis.
After Parshvanatha and Mahavira, various Jaina Acharyas made no
distinction whatsoever among people in the matter of following religion
and conceived that the Varna System, that is, the division of society into
four Varnas or Classes, is based upon differences in professions. In their
view birth played no part in determining the class or Varna of a
particular person. As regards the division of the society into four Varnas,
Jinasena Acharya states1 in the following manner:
�֮��µ֕��ןָ��� ���ן֮�ִ��ꤵ���˳־�� �
���עֳ��� �� �֤˳��֓��֟���Ԭ��״��ֿ����� ��
�������� ��Ο�������ָ֟�� ��סֵ��: ��á֬�ָ��֟�� �
����֕���s���ԕ�Ԯ�֮��ֵ�֟�� ���� ���ݾ��ע�����ֵ�֟��
��
�־�� 38,45-46
The whole mankind came into existence due to the rise of
Jati-Nama-Karma; and the mankind was divided into four categories of
Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra according to the differences in
the vocations they followed for their livelihood. Those who observed `Vratas�
(i.e., religious injunctions to a greater degree) were known as Brahmanas,
those who carried weapons as Kshatriyas, those who acquired wealth by just
means as Vaishyas and those who maintained by resorting to low professions
as Shudras.
From the above discussion it will b-, seen that the society as
envisaged by Parshvanatha, Mahavira and Jaina Acharyas was a society
wherein classes were not water-tight compartments and complete freedom was
granted to people to change to the class of their own aptitude. The
society was not divided into distinct separate sections and no
differentiation was made in the status of the classes. All were considered
as different ways of life and utmost importance was attached to individual
character and mode of behaviour. There was no room for anybody to feel
that he was neglected or degraded as he was free enough to follow any
profession he liked and he could observe all religious rites end practices
along with others. It is important to note that Brahmana, Kshatriya,
Vaishya and Shudra were the main divisions and nowhere in ancient
literature even a mention has been made of the castes existing as at
present in the Jaina community. The caste system is a comparatively later
development in the Jaina community and it appears that the castes might
have arisen from the former four claases2.
1. Acharya: Jinasena: Adi Purana, Parva 38, 45-46.
2. Jaini J.L. : Jaina Law, page 2.
It is stated that the persistent Brahmanical tendency to give a
hereditary character to occupational distinctions by birth-right led to
the formation of castes and castes within castes. Even though the early
records of the Jainas, along with those of the Buddhists, reveal a
powerful movement of thought counteracting this rapidly increasing
tendency�, still it is a fact that later on the Jainas formed in their
community a large number of castes and sub-castes.
