Dr. Pankaj Jain’s monograph on Mahavira, the 24th Tirtha?kara of Jainism, offers a comprehensive exploration of his life, teachings, and enduring influence on Jain virtue ethics and environmental sustainability. Structured around the five Jain milestones – conception, birth, renunciation, omniscience, and liberation – the manuscript draws from primary Prakrit and Sanskrit texts, as well as secondary sources in English, Hindi, and Gujarati, to construct a detailed biography. It addresses the scarcity of English-language works on Mahavira compared to those on Buddhism, emphasizing his role in shaping Jainism’s distinct identity. The introduction critiques the ‘imperialism of categories’, advocating for a dharmic framework that intertwines philosophy, religion, and ecology, avoiding Western dichotomies. Jainism’s core virtues – Ahimsa (nonviolence), Aparigraha (non-accumulation), and Anekantavada (pluralism) – are explored as foundational to sustainable practices, influencing figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The manuscript highlights Jainism’s environmental contributions, such as vegetarianism and animal sanctuaries, exemplified by institutions like the Sumati Jeev Raksha Kendra.
