Lord Mahavira: A Study in Historical Perspective

The book begins with a publisher’s note explaining that the work was first published in 1948 by the Jaina Cultural Research Society and later republished by P. V. Research Institute in 1987. The second edition adds an introduction by Prof. Sagarmal Jain on the relevance of Mahavira’s teachings in the modern world. This introduction presents Jainism as a practical path for mental peace, ethical discipline, and social harmony. It identifies equanimity as the essence of religion and explains the three core Jain principles: non-attachment as the discipline of the mind, non-violence as the discipline of the body, and non-absolutism as the discipline of speech and thought. The main text opens with “The Age of Mahavira,” describing sixth-century B.C. India as a time of major intellectual and social transformation. It then examines Mahavira’s early life, his connection with the tradition of Parsva, Jain accounts of biography, his parentage and birth, renunciation, ascetic life, penance, wanderings, enlightenment, and status as Kevalin, Jina, and Tirthankara. Later chapters present Mahavira’s teachings, his view of the world, fundamental truths, ethics, Jain atheism, the conversion of the Ganadharas, influence at royal courts, republican clans, his community of followers, Nirvana, and rival sects such as Buddhists, Ajivikas, Brahmanic schools, and Nihnavas.