Agammanishi Muni Dulheraj
Parshva preached a very simple religion. His religion was four fold - Non-violence, Truth, Non-stealing and Non-possession. He stressed on the principle of non-violence and made it the pivot of his religious doctrine. He said, ‘Non-violence is the pivot around which all other principles and norms revolve.’
‘One who is non-violent reaches the highest truth. One who is truthful knows non-stealing and thus non possession follows on its own.’ Thus in the annals of history it was the first instance which was witness to the systematization of the principle of nonviolence.
Secondly, in those days the principle of nonviolence was confined only to the practices of the monks and nuns. Ordinary people did not know its application. Parshva made it applicable in day-to-day life. He said, ‘The religion of non-violence is not confined to Rishis and Saints. It is meant for the common people as well. Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute. Human beings should abide by this higher law and subdue their lower instincts so that the virtues lying latent may manifest eventually.’ People imbibed its essence and felt at home in its practice. Violence which was in abundance began to lessen and the whole atmosphere was energized by the vital vigour of non- violence. It gained momentum, and in due course, the principle of Ahimsa which was considered to be individualistic became social.
Thirdly, the fundamental thing which Parshva did was to formulate regular associations for the propagation of the principles. From Buddhist literature we can safely conclude that in the 8th century B.C. the associations formed by Parshva had a firm grip on the spiritual atmosphere of the country.
