renounced wealth, and set out in search of the truth, the same pattern as is
found in the story of Buddhism’s founder. Jains insist the truth was already
there, the result of the previous tı ̄rthan.karas, but that Maha ̄vı ̄ra systematized
it and made it accessible. As a tı ̄rthan.kara, Maha ̄vı ̄ra was believed to have
crossed over from this world to a purely “jı ̄vic” state of liberation. Before
doing so, however, he became a guru, gathered a group of disciples around
him and began to articulate the principles of Jainism. His monks and the
movement spread northwest as well as south into the Deccan and Southern
India. They became advisers to kings, students of language and literature,
and exemplars of the Jain ethic.
Tradition has it that during Maha ̄vı ̄ra’s lifetime, he attracted a number of
followers, including some brahmans, so many brahmans, in fact, that some
ambiguity existed in the early centuries as to the appropriateness of the
term “avaidika” or “heterodox.”^10 Jain texts claim that the followers were
clustered into four groups – monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, in each
case more women than men.^11 It is evident that, despite the rigor of Jain
discipline, it was attractive to some. Why? There may have been several
reasons. There must have been some disenchantment with urban life and a
sense of being excluded from the elaborate, expensive brahmin-dominated
sacrificial system and even from the relatively esoteric Upanis.adic cells.
Perhaps more important, the Jain movement (and later the Buddhist
one) was attractive to merchants and other tradesmen who welcomed the
opportunity to work out their own liberation. Jainism seemed to have
encouraged and rewarded those who in their daily lives pursued the ideal
of the “perfected person” or “pure one” (s ́res.t.hin).^12 Not least of all, persons
from the lower echelons of society saw in such a movement an opportunity
for social egalitarianism and religious enlightenment. But why more women
than men? Women were no doubt even more restricted in their access to
brahmanic rituals; many may have preferred this option to widowhood
or even to the growing restraints on marriage. Probably most important,
men may have had several wives and, when “converted” brought their wives
with them.^13
After the death of Maha ̄vı ̄ra, the community was led by persons known
as Gan.adharas. Around the third century BCE, one of these, Bhadraba ̄hu,
led a group of monks into the Deccan to avoid a pending famine; upon his
return, he found that those who had stayed had formed a more liberal group
organized by Sthu ̄labhadra. A schism resulted: Bhadraba ̄hu’s followers
became known as Digambaras (sky-clad) for their unwillingness to wear
clothing; Sthu ̄labhadra’s followers became known as the S ́veta ̄mbaras(white-
clad).
The basic belief system of the Jains may have been in place as early as
the sixth century BCE, though it was certainly elaborated over the ensuing
38 The Early Urban Period