Introduction
The 6th century BCE saw widespread religious ferment across the Gangetic plains, producing
numerous heterodox (non-Vedic) sects — of which Buddhism and Jainism proved
the most enduring and historically significant, both rejecting Vedic ritualism and the authority of Brahmin priests.
Causes for the Rise of New Religious Movements
- Growing discontent with the complexity and cost of Vedic rituals and animal sacrifices.
- Rigid varna system and Brahmin dominance created resentment among Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.
- Rise of new agricultural surplus and trade classes seeking simpler, more accessible faiths.
- Use of Prakrit/Pali (common people's language) rather than Sanskrit made new teachings widely accessible.
Gautama Buddha and Buddhism
| Event | Detail |
|---|
| Birth | Lumbini (c. 563 BCE), as Siddhartha Gautama, son of Suddhodana (Shakya clan chief) and Maya Devi |
| Great Renunciation | Left home at age 29 after witnessing the "four sights" (old man, sick man, dead man, ascetic) |
| Enlightenment | Attained Nirvana under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, age 35 |
| First Sermon | At Sarnath ("Dharmachakra Pravartana" — turning the wheel of law) |
| Death (Mahaparinirvana) | At Kushinagar, age 80 |
Core Teachings of Buddhism
Flowchart — Four Noble Truths → Eightfold Path
Four Noble Truths: life is suffering (dukkha); suffering has a cause (desire); suffering can end; the path to end it exists
↓
Eightfold Path ("Middle Way") — right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration
- Rejected the existence of a permanent soul (Anatta) and the authority of the Vedas.
- Emphasised ahimsa (non-violence) and ethical living over ritual.
Buddhist Councils
| Council | Year/Ruler | Venue | Outcome |
|---|
| First | c. 483 BCE, soon after Buddha's death | Rajagriha | Compiled Sutta Pitaka & Vinaya Pitaka |
| Second | c. 383 BCE | Vaishali | Split into Sthaviravadins and Mahasanghikas over monastic discipline |
| Third | c. 250 BCE, Ashoka | Pataliputra | Compiled Abhidhamma Pitaka; sent missionaries abroad |
| Fourth | c. 1st-2nd century CE, Kanishka | Kashmir/Kundalvana | Split into Hinayana and Mahayana schools |
Mahavira and Jainism
- Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism, born c. 540 BCE at Kundagrama (near Vaishali) to Siddhartha and Trishala.
- Attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience) after 12 years of asceticism; died at Pavapuri (c. 468 BCE).
- Jainism holds that 23 Tirthankaras preceded Mahavira — Parshvanatha (23rd) is considered historical.
Core Teachings — Three Jewels (Triratna)
- Right Faith (Samyak Darshana), Right Knowledge (Samyak Jnana), Right Conduct (Samyak Charitra).
- Five vows (Panch Mahavrata): Ahimsa (non-violence — central to Jain ethics), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity), Aparigraha (non-possession).
Jain Schism
Jainism split into Svetambara (white-clad) and Digambara (sky-clad/naked) sects, reportedly during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, over disagreements about monastic practice (including whether monks should wear clothes).
📌 Common Ground: Both Buddhism and Jainism rejected Vedic authority, animal sacrifice, and caste rigidity, and emphasised ahimsa — though Jainism took ahimsa to a stricter, more literal extreme than Buddhism's "Middle Way."
✅ UPSC Focus: Key events in Buddha's and Mahavira's lives and their locations · Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path · Buddhist Councils and their outcomes · Jain schism (Svetambara vs Digambara) · Three Jewels and Five Vows of Jainism.