Query 1: If Aadishwar Bhagvan was the first Jain Tirthankar, then Jain Religion must
be there or may be established by "First Tirthankara: Aadishwar Bhagvan", but it is said that Lord Mahavir
established Jain Religion. Please explain the chronology.
Query 2: If Jain Dharma is before Hinduism, why all the Jain Tirthankaras were born in Kshatriya
families?
Query 3: When did actually Jain Religion was established and what was the main reason for
deviation?
Query 4: From the absolute reality stand point, there is no begining or no end, then how was the
Universe created and how did the humans were born and how did they accumulate Karmas and desires?
Vijay Kumar:
Bhagwan Aadinath, the first Tirthankar of the Jain's did not start
Jainism as such because Jainism is not a Religion but a way of life. The first Tirthankar set the initial
standards as to how Human Beings were to conduct themselves in day to day life. He was the first to preach
the relationship between a human being and atman the soul within.
He emphasized the fact that it was atman the soul within which was the
true essence of every being and the body of every being was only a garb for atman the soul within. He was the
first to Realize God in his age and hence was known as the first Tirthankar. He was not to have another body
as his Atman within was going to be liberated forever.
During the period of Bhagwan Aadinath, Humanity was not developed nor was science. It was difficult to preach to a
group of people leave apart a whole community or a town. There were no followers and hence no Religion.
In the intervening period from first to the 23rd Tirthankar, the same
pattern of preaching followed. The Guru had Realized God but to make the common masses understand the
absolute Truth was a difficult task as even written form of communication had not yet evolved. It was only
after Bhagwan Mahavira
had come and had established his religious supremacy ... he found the time conducive for mass
preaching.
He propagated the concept of oneness with God, the Creator. According to him there was no separate God, the Creator
and every individual being had the potential to become a Bhagwan, a realized soul. He advocated the Cosmos to be
without a beginning and end.
His preachings were followed by the masses and his followers came to be
known as Jain's. The word Jain is derived from the word Jina, one who had won the self. All followers of
Bhagwan Mahavira are expected to Realize God at the earliest, only then shall they be a true Jain.
From the first to the 23rd Tirthankar, the masses were more busy in earning their livelihood and they had no time
for any Religion whatsoever. Only when there basic necessities were fulfilled, they developed an inclination
towards Dharma and Religion. The Religion which was in its infancy up to the 23rd Tirthankar had now taken its
roots and fully blossomed during the time of Bhagwan Mahavira.
Vijay Kumar:
Who said Jain Dharma existed before Hinduism. Lord Krishna came
approximately a 1000 years before Bhagwan Mahavira. Bhagavad Gita... the most sacred document existing on
Mother Earth is the guiding star for all Humanity. If you read the story of Dharma in the
following article, all would become crystal clear.
Tirthankars and all God Realized souls are normally born in a Kshatriya
family for the only reason that Kshatriyas are fearless people and they can face the truth in its entirety.
The other classes of Brahmins, Vaishya and Shudra are dependent on the community for their survival and can
also involve themselves in untruthful means for the sake of maintaining their livelihood and which is a great
bar in achieving Self Realization for those who are not absolutely truthfully can never gain God Realization.
Having led a contended life, they could afford venturing into the inner domains of their real Self, the I
within.
Vijay Kumar:
Jainism as a way of life took a foothold during the period of Bhagwan
Mahavira sometimes above 2550 years ago. Bhagavad Gita as narrated by Lord Krishna is the complete essence of
life in its entirety. It believes in the Doctrine of a Karta, an Omnipotent Creator of the
Universe.
The whole Doctrine is so complex in nature that taking even few clues one
could develop a separate chain of thought. Bhagwan Mahavira did not believe in the Doctrine of one Creator
having created the entire cosmos and hence a separate chain of thought was developed which evolved around the
basic theme of Ahimsa. This does not mean that Lord Krishna was against Ahimsa but it is possible that during
his time the topic of Ahimsa was not the dominating theme.
It is more likely that due to non availability of greener pastures, practice of non vegetarion diet was a common
practice and with passage of thousand years inclination towards vegetarionism increased. Further, Human Beings
realized that animals also had an atman the soul within and one would incur papa Karma in killing them.
Vijay Kumar:
True, Cosmos is without a beginning or end. Everything in the Cosmos acts
in the cycle manner. At one stage of time the whole Cosmos destructs itself and again is reborn with a Big Bang. This process goes on
and on and the time period between the beginning and the end may range between billions of
years.
In the initial stages the Cosmos is not conducive to growth of any Jiva
(a living being) but slowly signs of first life starts to occur in form of an amoeba (single cell formation).
This ultimately leads to development of plant life, then animal life and subsequently the form of a human
being takes shape ... the ultimate in the theory of evolution. This human being paves the way for atman the
soul within to get liberated and retain its original form as was at the time of the occurrence of Big
Bang.
atman the soul within is hundred percent pure at the time of Big Bang. As the big Bang occurs all atmans souls get
scattered all over the Cosmos and in this process they accumulate impurities. atman the soul within cannot purify
itself on its own but has to manifest a body and it takes as per Bhagavad Gita a total of 8.4 million
manifestations before it gets liberated to its original form.
This Cosmic journey by atman the soul within takes approximately 96.4
million years. The impurities described above when related to a human being are termed as Karmas and desires.
Unless a Jiva performs due Karmas there is no reprieve.
One is always bound by the Cosmic laws but the biggest reprieve for mankind is the journey can be cut short in any
life depending upon the will power of a human being and his capacity to sustain the hardships one has to past
through as has been the case with the undersigned.
May God bless us all
Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),
Essay by:
Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" ... The Man who Realized God in 1993!
A to Z of Aadishwar Bhagvan First Jain Tirthankara explained in words one can easily understand and fathom.
For more on aadishwar bhagvan first jain tirthankara visit : http://www.vijaykumar.com/Jainism-Beliefs/
... Vijay Kumar |
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