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Marti Foster
Professor Alec Thomson
Ancient World History
10 June 2016
The Early History of Jainism
Jainism is a religion highly concentrated in India which focuses heavily on peace and
discipline. Using non-violence and the rejection of desire, the individuals of this faith aim to
achieve liberation, or to depart from the cycle of reincarnation. (Library)
Achieving liberation for Jains means that their soul will live on forever in a state of bliss.
Many times, Jains devote their life to this and spend years perfecting the practice. The Jains carry
out many customs and stay true to traditions pertaining to their success during their journey to
liberation. These practices are rooted in the concept of the Three Jewels of Jainism, or their
ethical code. The three concepts surrounding this ideal are right faith, right knowledge, and right
conduct. (Jainism)
It is not known exactly when the Jain faith was discovered but Mahavira, or Vardhamana,
is thought to be the one who helped the Jain faith to spread around India.1 He lived during a time
when Hinduism became less appealing for people because of the strict rituals and hierarchy set in
place. (History) Vardhamana was born into the warrior class of India around the 6th century BCE.
It is said that when he was around thirty years old he decided that he was tired of living a
dissatisfied life filled with war and inequality and sought out to find a deeper meaning. Because
of his ill feelings, he took initiative and gave up his royal privileges when his parents passed
away. He proceeded to wander around searching to gain enlightenment. (Violatti) He
accomplished this by travelling as an ascetic. An ascetic is a person who practices severe self-

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discipline and abstention. He did this for 12 years before he reached enlightenment through
fasting and meditation. This is when he changed his name from Vardhamana to Mahavira, which
means the great hero. This was also his beginning as the forefront of Jainism. (Violatti) Soon
after finding enlightenment, Mahavira started to make converts, the first eleven being former
Brahmans. These new converts became the disciples of Mahavira. (History)
During his lifetime, up to fourteen thousand monks and thirty-six thousand nuns were
converted under Vardhamanas influence. (History) This journey distinguished Vardhamana as
the 24th and last Tirthankara. Tirthankara is a term meaning ford-finder and are characterized
by individuals who find the path to overcome suffering and misery. They are the figures the Jains
follow to also reach enlightenment. (Violatti)
Vardhamana spread the Jain ideals and traditions and shared his interpretation of the
values with his followers. One of these values he supported was the idea that everything is alive
and has a soul. He believed that even the smallest of organisms should be valued and that
everything is made up of Jiva. This means living intelligence and everything from humans to
water possesses this trait according to Jainism. This also lead to the belief that by consuming or
harming anything with Jiva, one would be exposed to bad karma as all of these things can feel
pain and non-violence was not optional. This is the reason behind Jain fasting, the thought that
no karma happens if nothing is eaten. It is thought that Vardhamana died by starvation due to
fasting which also helped him to achieve nirvana, or liberation. (Violatti)
Vardhamana or Mahavira was the last Tirthinkara of the Jain faith, but did not mark the
end of the spread of the culture or influence Jainism has brought to the world. Vardhamana was
active in introducing Jainism to people such as kings and was responsible for bringing the ideas
into new cities and urban areas of India. Though his followers were forced to practice less

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extreme measures than Vardhamana to make the religion more appealing to outsiders, a
vegetarian diet is still practiced today in Jainism.2 This concept of asceticism is also what sets
Buddhism and Jainism apart from one another. This religion was not as hugely popular as
Hinduism and Buddhism because of the strict ascetic ways but appealed to groups of people in
India who were not opposed to living a lifestyle like this. (Solomon)
After the death of Vardhamana, his disciples took on the responsibility of spreading the
Jain word and sharing the knowledge and teachings left behind by him. It is thought that after his
last great disciple, Jambusvami, the new teachers of the scriptures though incredibly
knowledgeable, were not truly liberated, or kevalins. Unfortunately, the individuals who came
after were also kevalins and even less knowledgeable, resulting in the dilution of the legacy of
Mahavira. (Library)
The early history of the Jain faith paves the way for many years of devout followers. This
religion of non-violence has had much influence over India and the world today. Vardhamana
was a greatly influential individual in the spread of Jainism and his values and ideals will be
followed for many years to come.

Notes
1. It is a common misconception that Mahavira founded the Jain religion. Jainism was
already present by the time he was alive, Mahavira was a follower.
2. Also, so the entire following didnt go extinct and die of starvation.

Annotated Bibliography
"History of Jainism - ReligionFacts." History of Jainism - ReligionFacts. Religion Facts, 17 Mar.
2015. Web. 12 June 2016.
This short article shares information about the early history involved in Jainism. It gives
an overview on the history surrounding Mahavira and explains the role of the
Tirthankaras in Jainism.
"Jainism at a Glance." BBC. BBC, 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 June 2016.
This page gives a brief outline of the Jain faith. It gives quick details of the beliefs jains
follow and the reasons behind these beliefs. It explains their view of karma and goes into
depth about the ascetic ways of Jainism. It also gives a small amount of history on
Mahavira.
"Library." Jainism Origins, Jainism History, Jainism Beliefs. Patheos, n.d. Web. 10 June 2016.
This is a detailed article dealing with an overview of the Jain faith. It is informative and
filled with facts of the influences of Jainism, the founders, early developers and the
beliefs instilled in the religion. It goes into depth about the ways which Jains worship and
about how they behave in the community, including an outline of the ethics surrounding
the religion.
"An Outline of Jain History." Jain History Outline. Colorado State, 14 Dec. 1999. Web. 12 June
2016.
This website includes a descriptive timeline briefing the history of Jainism from the 8th
century BCE to the present. It shares various prominent Jain figures of each time frame
and also gives information about other historical events happening in India during these

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times unrelated to Jainism.
Solomon, Jayaram. "History of Jainism after Mahavira." History of Jainism after Mahavira.
Hindu Website, 3 Apr. 1999. Web. 12 June 2016.
This article explains the role of Jainism in ancient India and talks about it as it is related
to Buddhism and Hinduism. It mentions the migration of Jainism through India and
discusses Jainism in India after Mahaviras death. It explains what was done to spread the
Jain faith after Mahaviras death and the influence of Jainism during the Mauryan era.
Violatti, Christian. "Jainism." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia
Limited, 3 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 June 2016.
This article explains in detail the beliefs of Jains and the traditions involved in the Jain
religion. It explains their thought process and reasoning behinf the strict non-violence
rule included in the religion and gives an impressive explaination on Mahavira and his
reasoning behind Jiva. It gives detailed information on the life of Mahavira and his quest
to achieve nirvana.