Jainism has got 32 “shastras” which gives a lot of importance to:

Daan  (charity)

Sheel (character)

Tap (fasting)

Bhavana (feelings)

There are various kinds of daan:

Abhay daan (saving a living creature from death)

Supaatra daan (charity to Saadhu)

Gyan daan (charity of knowledge)

Vastra daan (charity of clothes)

Anna daan (charity of food)

The best daan among these is considered to be Abhay daan followed by Supaatra daan. The main principle of Jainism is Ahimsa (non-violence) and therefore priority is rightly given to Abhay daan, which exemplifies the principle of Ahimsa.

By giving daan one accumulates a lot of Punya (happiness) and that is why daan is considered as one among the many sources of happiness.

Even Tirthankars give daan for one year continuously prior to taking Diksha (religious observance), which amounts to gold coins worth three arab eighty eight crore and eighty lakhs!

There are 24 Tirthankars in Jainism. Tirthankars are those who are on the verge of attaining salvation and who establish the four tirths:

1. Saadhu

2. Saadhvi

3. Shravak

4. Shravika

 Jainism

The 24th Tirthankar is Lord Mahaveer (599-527 BCE) who was born to King Sidharatha and Queen Trishla in Kundalpuri. He was actually named Vardhamaan by his parents, but later when God and Goddess saw the strength in this little prince they named him Mahaveer.

After gaining expertise in various fields, he married Princess Yashoda and she gave birth to a daughter Priyadarshana. In spite of being a prince, Lord Mahaveer was never attached to worldly pleasures.

At the age of 30, he took Diksha and did a lot of fasting, meditation and study of inner peace for a continuous period of twelve-and-a-half years. During this time, he ate for 349 days only. At the age of 42, he attained “Keval Gyan” i.e., complete clear knowledge and thus became a Kevali (mendicant who is entitled to attain salvation). He established the four Tirths and was called Tirthankar thereafter.

He then preached the principles of Jainism in depth, but in very simple terms. This was understood by everyone very easily. As he had attained “Keval Gyan” his words were authentic and all those who believed him and followed him attained salvation.

During his last stage he preached continuously for almost 48 hours. These last preachings are recorded in the Utradhyan Sutra. After this he attained the goal of his life – salvation- at the age of 72.

His main motto was Live and Let Live which encapsulates the main principle of Jainism and is being followed by millions even today.

- Lekha Kumbhat & Santosh Modi

Editor’s note- Jains are known for their philanthropy and contribute more than 50% of all eyes donated in India. The highest eye donation rate in India is among the Jains from Gujarat.