Sramana: Encyclopedia - Sramana

Sramana

A Sramana (Sramati tapasyatiti Sramanah) is one who performs acts of mortification or austerity. According to the definition, a being is himself responsible for his own deeds. Salvation, therefore, can be achieved by anybody irrespective of caste, creed, color or culture. The Cycle of Rebirth to which every individual is subjected is viewed as the cause and substratum of misery. The goal of every person is to evolve a way to escape from the cycle of rebirth, namely by discounting ritual as a means of a emancipation and establishing from the misery of Samsara, through pious religious activities.

Sramana - Etymology

Sramana is derived from "Srama" --- to exert, effort, labor or to perform austerity. It is mixed in with the meaning "Sama" --- equal, evenly distributed, to emancipate from Karma. Sramana is a Sanskrit term.

Sramana - Sramana Movement

Sramana came to mean "strivers" in the 6th century BC. These were people who strived for an alternate path to achieve salvation other than by the means of rituals.

Sramana - Sramana Teachings and Schools

The two most prominent (and longest lasting) Sramana teachings have become what we know as Buddhism and Jainism. Other examples of Sramana schools are the Ajivakas who believed karma and rebirth to be completely fate based, with nothing in the control of individuals, as well as the Lokayatas who practiced secular hedonism, believing that there is no rebirth or karma and that we should simply fulfill all of our bodily desires as much as humanly possible.

Sramana - Sramanas in Western litterature

Sramana - Nicolaus of Damascus c.10 CE

Nicolaus of Damascus is famous for his account of an embassy sent by an Indian king "named Pandion (Pandyan kingdom?) or, according to others, Porus" to Caesar Augustus around 13 CE. He met with the embassy at Antioch. The embassy was bearing a diplomatic letter in Greek, and one of its members was a sramana ("Σαρμανο") who burnt himself alive in Athens to demonstrate his faith. The event made a sensation and was quoted by Strabo^[1] and Dio Cassius^[2]. A tomb was made to the sramana, still visible in the time of Plutarch, which bore the mention "ΖΑΡΜΑΝΟΧΗΓΑΣ ΙΝΔΟΣ ΑΠΟ ΒΑΡΓΟΣΗΣ" ("The sramana master from Barygaza in India").

Sramana - Clement of Alexandria 150-211

Clement of Alexandria makes several mentions of the Sramanas, both in the context of the Bactrians and the Indians:

"Thus philosophy, a thing of the highest utility, flourished in antiquity among the barbarians, shedding its light over the nations. And afterwards it came to Greece. First in its ranks were the prophets of the Egyptians; and the Chaldeans among the Assyrians; and the Druids among the Gauls; and the Sarmanaeans among the Bactrians ("Σαρμαναίοι Βάκτρων"); and the philosophers of the Celts; and the Magi of the Persians, who foretold the Saviour's birth, and came into the land of Judaea guided by a star. The Indian gymnosophists are also in the number, and the other barbarian philosophers. And of these there are two classes, some of them called Sarmanae ("Σαρμάναι"), and others Brahmins ("Βραφμαναι")." Clement of Alexandria "Exhortation to the Heathen" ^[3]

It should be noted that, to Clement of Alexandria, "Bactrians" seems to mean "Oriental Greek", as in a passage of the Stromata: "It was after many successive periods of years that men worshipped images of human shape, this practice being introduced by Artaxerxes, the son of Darius, and father of Ochus, who first set up the image of Aphrodité Anaitis at Babylon and Susa; and Ecbatana set the example of worshipping it to the Persians; the Bactrians, to Damascus and Sardis." The Stromata, or Miscellanies, Book I, Clement of Alexandria. ^[4]

Sramana - Porphyry 233-305

Porphyry extensively describes the habits of the Sramanas (whom he calls Samanaeans) in his "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV ^[5]. He says his information was obtained from "the Babylonian Bardesanes, who lived in the times of our fathers, and was familiar with those Indians who, together with Damadamis, were sent to Caesar":

"For the polity of the Indians being distributed into many parts, there is one tribe among them of men divinely wise, whom the Greeks are accustomed to call Gymnosophists. But of these there are two sects, over one of which the Bramins preside, but over the other the Samanaeans. The race of the Bramins, however, receive divine wisdom of this kind by succession, in the same manner as the priesthood. But the Samanaeans are elected, and consist of those who wish to possess divine knowledge." Porphyry "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV

"All the Bramins originate from one stock; for all of them are derived from one father and one mother. But the Samanaeans are not the offspring of one family, being, as we have said, collected from every nation of Indians..."Porphyry "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV

On entering the order: "The Samanaeans are, as we have said, elected. When, however, any one is desirous of being enrolled in their order, he proceeds to the rulers of the city; but abandons the city or village that he inhabited, and the wealth and all the other property that he possessed. Having likewise the superfluities of his body cut off, he receives a garment, and departs to the Samanaeans, but does not return either to his wife or children, if he happens to have any, nor does he pay any attention to them, or think that they at all pertain to him. And, with respect to his children indeed, the king provides what is necessary for them, and the relatives provide for the wife. And such is the life of the Samanaeans. But they live out of the city, and spend the whole day in conversation pertaining to divinity. They have also houses and temples, built by the king". Porphyry "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV

On life and death: "They are so disposed with respect to death, that they unwillingly endure the whole time of the present life, as a certain servitude to nature, and therefore they hasten to liberate their souls from the bodies [with which they are connected]. Hence, frequently, when they are seen to be well, and are neither oppressed, nor driven to desperation by any evil, they depart from life." Porphyry "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV

Sramana - Notes

• Jainism
• Buddhism

• ^  Strabo, xv, 1, on the immolation of the Sramana in Athens (Paragraph 73)
• ^  Dio Cassius, liv, 9.
• ^  Clement of Alexandria "Exhortation to the Heathen"
• ^  Clement of Alexandria "The Stromata, or Miscellanies" Book I
• ^  Porphyry "On abstinence from animal food" Book IV, Paragraphs 17&18.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sramana", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki