Sramana spirituality is deeply rooted in ancient Indian belief system, it was very much relevant in times of Vaigai to Indus over 5000 years ago. Buddha was the master who not just revived this practice but also propagated it across the continents.
There are two ancient spiritual practices originated in India.
1. Folk spirituality: A practice where people worship spirits and ancestors. South India has preserved it in the form of village deities, mother goddess, folk spirits, ancestral worship. Murugan, Perumal, Kotravai, Meenatchi, Sundareswarar, Ayyanar are Dravidian folk deities.
2. Sraman: Initially, it was unorganized as individuals opted with a small or no group, they left the mainstream society and escaped to forest.
Very few people know that 28th Buddha and 24th Tirthankara were contemporaries. As I have mentioned, the Sramana practice didn’t start with 28th Buddha and 24th Tirthankara. The importance of Buddha is much more than Buddhism.
In post-Buddha period Buddhism became a religion so there would be puranas and mythologies attached to it, but let’s have a more realistic approach to understand the evolution of Buddhism and Jainism.
There have been 23 Tirthankaras and 27 Buddhas before, we can assume that each of them had an average life span of 50 years. Adding this to 5th century BCE we reach somewhere around 1800-1600 BCE – The period of mature phase of Indus Valley.
This means that the Sramana spirituality began in the last phase of Indus valley, and Pali Prakrit could have origin in large Dravidian linguistic cloud. That’s why Brahmi / Tamili scripts were used pan-india to draft scriptures. Dr B R Ambedkar too has supported this notion related to pan-india linguistic similarity. So, the 28th Tathagata Buddha (Sukiti) is a flower blossom on Buddhism branch of the Sramana tree, the same can be said about Jainism and Ajivik.
How did Sraman Religion Spread?
Sraman religion like Buddhism and Jainism needed a vast following, but as always the majority of used to believe in folk spiritualism, ancestral worship like we see it today. So, Sraman religion like Mahayana Buddhism started integrating folk beliefs and folk idols into Buddhism. That’s why we see a lot of similarities between Mahayan Buddhism and Dravidian folk deities.
During the times of Buddha, spirit beliefs and idol worship was not a part of Buddhism, but later Mahayan Buddhism had to adopt spiritual practices to increase footprint in the Subcontinent. This is not unique to India, Buddhism adopted similar strategy to spread across Asia, integrating tribal beliefs while preaching the Dhammapada. For this reason we see idols of Buddha and Thirthankara in so called Hindu temples.
That’s how we see Indian folk deities look very similar to Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism. After the fall of Buddhism the same Dravidian folk deities were inducted into Vedic Hinduism. So, now Buddhist think that Vedic people have hijacked their religion, but the reality could be much more complex.
Even today the folk spirituality remains dominants belief system in India. To save folk religion, the presence of Sramana religion like Buddhism and Jainism is essential. These two missionary religions can combate with extreme divisive philosophies while protecting the essence of India.
It’s important to note that Buddha and Tirthankara were ethnically Dravidians but are members of Sramana order. Integrating dravidian folk deities into Mahayana Buddhism made it popular in subcontinent. We see a lot of diversity in India because of folk religion which has been unorganised and differs from state to state.
So, Did Buddhism and Jainism exist in the Indus Valley?
No, it didn’t. Nothing related to Buddhism and Jainism has been found on the banks of Vaigai and Indus during excavations. But the Sraman practice has its roots in the Indus Valley.
There were basic tribal spiritual beliefs in Indus Valley, but no religion has been found. The previous Buddhas and Tirthanksara can be called anything because they didn’t start a missionary movement, they could be individual hermits having high regards among people.
Indo-Scythian (Saka) are the most friendly community to ever arrive in India around 1st & 2nd century BCE. Indo-Scythians not only accommodated Indian culture but their kingdoms in North and West India patronized folk and Sraman faith.
For example, Indo-Scythian Kshatriya ruler Rudradaman of Western Kshatrap embraced Buddhism and made significant donation to spread it.
Raja Vikramaditya of Ujjain too was a Kshatriya ruler with Indo-Scythian heritage embraced Jainism. The same is true for Kshatriyas of North India.
Present day historian debates are limited to Aryans and Dravidian. Indo-Scythian clans do not have Vedic ancestry, it was an independent group.
When a civilization becomes prosperous through science, infrastructure, trade, social development and lifestyle, it looks beyond material gains in search of inner peace. We are seeing this trend in the West. People are now inclined to rational spirituality and mindfulness. A similar thing could have happened to ancient India from the Vaigai and Indus Valley during the mature phase.
In beginning, Sramana was not an organised religion, but what happened all of sudden? Why did 28th Buddha and 24th Tirthankara aggressively preach in missionary mode? What was the urgency? Why did they oppose the same social system? What did they sense? why did they start missionary religions? – I leave these questions for further research.
The following concepts have been derived from the times of Buddha in India. But it doesn’t acknowledge Buddha or promote Buddhism.
1. Sanatan Dharma (Es Dhammo Sanantano)
Buddha was the first to invoke the term “Sanatan Dhamma (Eternal Law)”
Na hi verena verani
averena ca sammanti
samantidha kudacanam
esa dhammo sanantano.
– Dhammapada
“The hatred is, indeed, can never end the hate. It is pleased only by loving-kindness. This is an eternal law.”
2. Vishwaguru (Buddha)
Do you know about an Indian teacher whose teaching spread from Greece to Japan in ancient times?
3. Akhand Bharat (Jambudvipa)
The concept of foaming Akhand Bharat is inspired from the Mauryan Empire under the rule of Asoka. Though it doesn’t include Tamilagam.
4. Spiritual Politics / Governance (Ashoka’s Dhamma)
The spirituality has been a part of politics. Asoka integrated Buddhist values in everyday governance.
5. Spiritual / Ideological Patron to Govt (Buddhist Sangha)
Buddhist Sangha played a crucial role in forming the Asoka’s Dhamma.
6. Cultural Diplomacy (Dhammapada)
Asoka sent diplomatic missions to spread Buddhism in Asia and beyond. This increased the Mauryan political influence.
7. Knowledge Economy
Indian subcontinent became a global learning center with eminent Buddhist monasteries universities such as Takshila and Nalanda.
8. Social Justice
Buddha’s emphasis on social equality and liberation is well known. He extensively opposed discriminatory spiritual practices.
9. Religious Structures
Asoka built stupas and edicts to preach Dhamma.
10. Unification of Empire Through Spirituality
Asoka unified his empire through Buddhism, making it the first Buddhist nation.