Consider the following statements regarding the socio-religious developments associated with the rise of Jainism: 1. Lord Mahavira added the strict vow of celibacy, known as Brahmacharya, to the four earlier vows promulgated by Parshvanatha. 2. Jainism rejected the authority of the Vedas and the efficacy of ritualistic sacrifices, but accepted the existence of God as the supreme creator and sustainer of the universe. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because Parshvanatha advocated four restraints comprising non-injury, truth, non-stealing, and non-possession, to which Mahavira appended celibacy. Statement 2 is incorrect because orthodox Jain philosophy is nontheistic and rejects the concept of a supreme creator deity, attributing cosmic operations to eternal natural laws. Both Jainism and Buddhism share a common heterodox foundation that repudiated Vedic sacrificial authority. Jaina metaphysics posits that souls achieve liberation through rigorous ascetic purification rather than divine grace.