Shramana tradition
Also called: Shramanas, Parivrajakas · Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"
Meaning
The śhramaṇa tradition was a movement of people who gave up home and family to seek truth. It grew from c. the sixth century BCE in the Ganga valley. Śhramaṇa means "one who strives". These seekers included parivrājakas (wanderers) and bhikṣhus (monks who lived on alms, or food given by others). Most of them rejected Vedic sacrifice and the authority of the priests. They looked for liberation through their own effort, discipline and meditation.
Example
The Buddha, Mahāvīra, Makkhali Gosāla of the Ājīvikas and Ajita Kesakambalin of the Lokāyatas all came out of this wandering world. In the third century BCE, Asoka had the Barābar caves in Bihar cut out of rock for Ājīvika renouncers. These are the earliest artificial caves in India.
Don't confuse with
- Brahmanical (Vedic) tradition: in this tradition, priests performed sacrifices for householders and kings, and a person's place was fixed by birth. Śhramaṇas left household life and stressed personal effort.