Religious teacher and central figure of Jainism, b. c. 599 BC (Ksatriyaundagrama, India), d. 527 BC (Pavapuri, India).
Vardhamana, a member of the Ksatriya (warrior) caste, was the son of a clan ruler of the name Siddharta. According to some documents his mother was of the Brahman caste; others place her also in the Ksatriya caste.
It is known that Vardhamana was a younger contemporary of Gautama Buddha and born in the same region of India where Gautama grew up. (This makes Vardhamana's traditional birth date of 599 BC too early by some 40 years.)
At the time of Vardhamana Indian society was in transition from the city states of the Ganges civilization to empires. Political turmoil and war brought the misery of the lower castes into sharp focus. The ruling Brahman (priestly) caste responded to its troubles by enforcing ever larger sacrifices of precious farm animals on the lower castes.
The young Vardhamana was untouched by this and lead the wealthy life of his caste. He married a member of the Ksatriya caste and had a daughter from her. Legends report that his parents died by voluntary self-starvation, a rite known as sallekhana.
Distressed by the plight of the world and possibly influenced by his parents' example Vardhamana became a monk when he turned 30. He espoused the principles of non-injury and poverty and practiced both with extreme rigour: First he wore the same frock for a whole year but eventually gave up all possessions and went about naked and without even a begging bowl. He slept at various places, allowing insects to crawl over him and bite him without hurting them. He refused to eat food that was prepared particularly for him and endured abuse, beatings and complaints about his unsightly appearance without protest.
When Vardhamana died he was called Mahavira ("Great Hero") and Jina ("Conqueror" [of attachment to worldly things]), and his disciples spread his message of nonviolence through India.
Vardhamana's teachings, known as Jainism, are based on earlier religious teachings, particularly those of Parsvanatha, who had established a school of philosophy in the 9th century BC. Its core is ahimsa (non-injury) and detachment from all worldly things. Although many believers of Jainism practiced vegetarianism, which contributed to the end of the Brahman practice of sacrifices, vegetarianism is not essential to Jainism, which can interpret ahimsa as abstinence from cruelty.
Jainism does not believe in any god. The Jainist religious ideal is the perfection of human nature through ascetic life and monastic practice. To guide the believer to achieve perfection it promotes the "five great vows:" Renounce
In contrast to Buddhism, Jainism does not deny the existence of matter. It divides the universe into living substance (jiva or soul), which is found in plants, animals, humans and natural forces such as wind and fire, and nonliving substance (ajiva or non-soul), to which belong matter, space and time. Another substance is kharma, which materially penetrates the jiva and bonds it into transmigration until it is freed through penance.
Jainism practices religious tolerance and unlike Buddhism never developed a missionary drive. It is therefore not practiced widely outside India and in India itself only in sections of the society, particularly by its traders and merchants.