Bhagvana Mahavira

Author(s): Tulsi Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/006548/1

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BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA GAMADHIPATI TULSI meira

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The Book BHAGWANA MAHAVIRA (599B,C. 527 B.C.) was the propounder of the jain religion, which is one of the oldest living religions of the world. Itis notan offshoot of Hinduism or Buddhism, as has been misinterpreted by some scholars. Acharya Shri Tulsi, the author of the book, being an authority on the subject, has presented an authentic and historical account of Bhagawan Mahavira's life and philosphy. Acharya Tulsi observes in his preface to the book : "Bhagavan Mahavira propounded the doctrine of freedom of soul. The soul is not a part of paramatmaGodor Supreme soul. It does not dissolve into paramatma after it has become emancipated. It maintains its independent existence in the state of boridage as well as liberation. In the 20th century the intelligentsia are now considering Bhagavan Mahavira as a Saviour of mankind in the sense that he liberated the mankind from the mirge of dependence on others. Heendowed man with the insight to tread the path of selfdependence and spiritual exertion. People who believed in God as the creator and controller of man's fate sought. His grace Bhagavan Mahavira did not deny the existence of paramatma, but he did not accept him to be the creator and controller of man's fate. He said, Man himself is the maker of his own fate; nobody else is. Even karma is not such a controlling force, for man himself is the maker of karma. Man is bound to suffer the consequences of his karma, but not to the extent that he cannot change its course. One who enjoys an independent existence is also free to enjoy the freedom of action. The ultimate cause lies wholly within him. Forces other than himself do influence his actions, but they cannot Jain Education Interncomaletely emasculata hin."

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BHAGAWAN MAHAVIRA (A Short Biography and Ideology of Lord Mahavira-(599-527 B. C.), the great Prophet of Jainism) by GANADHIPATI TULSI JAIN VISHVA BHARATI LADNUN-341306 (INDIA)

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Translated & Edited by : MUNI MAHENDRA KUMAR (c) Jain Vishva Bharati Ladnun-341306 (India) Price Rs. 75.00 US $ 15.00 Second Edition : 1995 Printed at : PAWAN PRINTERS DELHI-110032 PHONE : 2273645

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Introduction This book is not a biography but an essay on Truth. Bhagavan Mahavira was the embodiment of Truth rather than a historical hero. Our devotion to him is devotion to Truth, for he himself devoted his entire life to the search, attainment and dissemination of Truth. Sudhakas like hiin who exerted themselves in tapas (austeritics) for years and years together are rare in the history of thy spiritual discipline. Time seems to have cast his achievements into oblivion. But let us remember that it was he who propounded the great philosophy of anekantavada which is capable of synthesising the diverse currents of thought in the world. We will not be able to appreciate him correctly as a great prophet of ahimsa (non-violence), and unekanta vada (relativism) until we tried to practise the two ideals in our own lives. Let us draw inspiration from the twentyfifth centenary of Bhagavan Mahavira and unveil his image which time has hidden. This can be done only when we have an intimate knowledge of his life and the principle for which he stood. This small book is an attempt in that direction. The modern life is throbbing with activities and involves ments. Bhagavan Mahavira led a life of "renunciation". Although "renunciation" is generally taken to be antagonistic to "active life", Bhagavan Mahavira's mode of practising renunciation was not a way of passivity nor conformity to quietism or fatalism. On the contrary, it required vigorous spiritual exertion--ardent efforts and perpetual strivings for self-purification. That is why he preached "active renunciation" and stood foremost amongst those who have infused Indian life with the spirit of "self-exertion".

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Bhagavan Mahavira's philosophy of life was based on realism, and as such it illustrated both the aspects of truththe eternal as well as the topical. The truths revealed by him, therefore, stand more significant for the present age of stark realism. The ideals of freedom, relativity, coexistence, harmony, and equality have already begun to become universal today. To this current of thoughts, let us add one more current so that it might assume the proportions of a mighty current to vitalize human life with the spirit of ahimsa and anekanta. This, indeed, will prove beneficial and blissful to all of us the whole world. Ganadhipati Tulsi

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Contents 6-25 I. BEFORE THE ADVENT OF BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA The Traditions of Bramanas 1 ; Bhagavan Parsva 2; Social and Religious Conditions 2 ; The Vajji Republic 5 II. THIRTY YEARS OF FAMILY LIFE Siddhartha and Trisala 7; Awaiting the Dawn 8 ; The Sunrise 10 ; The Dreams of the Mother 12: The Resolution in the Womb 14; The Wonderful Child 15; Vardhamana 18 ; Fearlessness and Exertion of Spiritual Vigour 18 ; Detachment and Marriage 20; Unattachment 21 Muhabhiniskramuna (The Great Renunciation) 22 III. THE PERIOD OF SADHANA (SPIRI TUAL DISCIPLINE) The Sacred Grove 26; All living beings are equal 31 ; Emancipation of a Slave-Girl 34 IV. KAIVALYA (OMNISCIENCE) AND THE BHAGAVAN'S SERMONS The Accomplishment of Sadhana 38 ; The First Sermon : The Fourfold Path 39; Muni-Dharma (Asceticism) 39 ; The Householder's Way for the Practice of Religion 43; Stress on Inwardness 44 ; Equality of Human Beings 44 ; The Sou? Itself is the Perfect Soul 44; Purusartha 45 ; The Second Sermon : Eleveu Theses 45 -26-37 38-50

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V. FOUNDATION OF RELIGIOUS ORDER 51-57 Initiation of Women 51 ; Twofold Dharma 51 ; The Gospel of Anekanta 53 ; The Orga nization of the Monastic Order 55 VI. TRANSVALUATION 58--68 Egalitarianism 60 ; The Social Value of Religion : Extension of the Code of Conduct for the Householder 65 (9--33 VII. THE RELEVANCE OF THE JAINA RELIGION TO MODERN PROBLEMS Ahimsa and Freedom from Passion 69; Non-violence and Liberty 71 ; Non-violence and Equality 72 ; Non-violence and Coexistence 73 ; Non-violence and Synthesis 74 ; Doctrine of Naya 76 ; Metaphysics 77; Animate and Inanimate 78; Asrava (Cause of the Influx of Karma) and Bandha (Bondage of Karma) 78 ; The cycle of Suffering 79 ; The Means of Liberation from the Cycle of Sufferings 79 ; The Purpose of Metaphysics 80 ; The Doctrine of Karma 80 ; The Relative Potentiality of Spiritual Exertion and Karma 81 VII. NIRVANA (LIBERATION) Epilogue 86 PHILOSOPHY AND EXHORTATION 84-86 87-97

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I BEFORE THE ADVENT OF BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA The Tradition of Sramanas All substances undergo transformations. The transformations are temporal but the substances are eternal. Looked at from the point of view of substance, the temporal flame of the candle is eternal. Looked at from the point of view of transformation, the eternal space is temporal. The world can be explained in terms of bothchange and permanence. Names and forms continuously change. People often ask is the Jaina religion eternal? If they were to ask whether dharma (religion) is eternal, the reply would be: yes, it is. Dharma is the nature of things. It had no beginning and it will have no end. But the terms dharma and Jaina are not eternal. They came into vogue some time and might disappear in the course of time. No name can claim eternity. The word Jaina is not very old, but the tradition it stands for is indeed ancient. The Jaina dharma is the successor of the older sramana dharma. The Sramana tradition in Indian religion and philosophy has a hoary past. It was developed and enriched by the arhats. Rsabha was the first arhat. As a king, he was the pioneer in the fields of agriculture, trade and commerce, and crafts. He developed these for the good of his people. He was the first to set up a social organization and an administrative machinery for it. He became an ascetic in pursuit of spiritual attainments and was canonized as an Arhat. Then he began to preach his religion. This event belongs to that period of pre-history when human civilization was in its infancy. Primitive people were being settled in villages in organized

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2 Bhagavan Mahavira communities. Arhat Rsabha lit into every heart the fire which burnt in himself. The tradition of the arhats was born and it flowed unfettered till the time of Parsva who was a historical figure. The earlier arhats are considered to be prehistoric. Bhagavan Parsva Bhagavan Parsva vitalized collective spiritual discipline. He opposed the practice of self-mortification based on ignorance and involving himsa (violence). He gave it a spiritual orientation. Because of his determined opposition to sheer self-mortification, he had to face serious difficulties. But one who treads the path of friendliness and non-violence must oppose himsa and face the consequences, howsoever painful they may be. Bhagavan Parsva succeeded in his mission. The sramanas started wielding considerable influence in his time. It was, in fact, the influence of ahimsa. Bhagavan Parsva, thereforc, became very popular and the followers of both-the Sramana and Brahmana traditions-came to acknowledge his greatness. Bhagavan Mahavira used the epithet Purusadaniya for Parsva which means 'worshipped by the people' or 'leader of the people'. The parents of Bhagavan Mahavira and his maternal uncle Cetaka, the head of the Licchavi Republic of Vaisali, were the followers of Bhagavan Parsva who had strengthened and popularised the philosophy of spiritualism and self-realization as against materialism and nature-worship. This was a great achievement. The achievements of Bhagavan Parsva were inherited by Bhagavan Mahavira and Bhagavan Buddha and several other tirthankaras of the sramana system. Social and Religious Conditions Change is the immutable and universal law of nature. The rise and fall of men and the strength and weakness of movements are determined by this law. The movement of

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Before the Advent of Bhagavan Mahavira ahinsa and self-discipline which Bhagavan Parsva had launched began to lose its momentum within a couple of centuries of his nirvana. When Bhagavan Mahavira started his career, he found social values in the melting pot. Society was governed by brute force. Kings had become deified. Their subjects were forced to acknowledge their sovereignty and to bear the yoke of tyranny as a matter of duty. The royal priests had whipped up such a psychosis of respect for the kings that their edicts came to be treated as divine decrees. To oppose them was to invite vengeance. Wealth had begun to be worshipped. Society became divided into the rich and the poor. Human beings were purchased and converted into slaves and treated as cattle or beasts of burden. The masters were entitled to punish them in any way they liked. Royal power and the power of wealth forced a division between men and men. The principle of human equality and unity became eclipsed. Casteism began to encourage social discrimination. The sudras were considered low and the untouchables lower still. Human intelligence came to be discredited and a man's worth was measured according to the status of his caste, power and wealth. This resulted in a sense of superiority in the wealthy and that of inferiority in the poor. The popular faith in the distorted doctrine of karma contributed its share in developing such a situation. The wretched were supposed to have been born with the evil effects of their misdeeds in the past life which they must pay for with suffering in this life. They were expected to bear their present miseries with patience. There was very little education and it was limited to the rich few. The comman man lived by physical labour only. He was not at all awakened to raise his voice against injus tice. There were two main traditions of religion--the Sramana and the Vedic. The framanas were organised into several samghas or monastic orders and the most highly enlightened

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Bhagavan Mahavira leaders of these organizations were known as tirthankaras. There were several sects of the Vedic tradition also. The Rsis of the Vedic tradition were theists, while the sages of the Upanisads professed the philosophy of the Brahman. Some of the Sramana Acaryas were also theists. But most of them professed the philosophy of the nirvana and the Atman (liberation and the self). All the religious teachers were seriously engaged in resolving the profound mysteries of the universe. While some of them tried to comprehend Truth through meditation and ascetic practices, others attempted to do so through worship and spells. Those who worshipped Sakti (Cosmic Power) and practised charms looked upon all violence committed for the propitiation of the gods as proper and legitimate and performed animal sacrifice. Rituals (yajnas) were performed to secure heaven. It was believed that the ritual of bathing in water lead to self-purification. On the basis of the doctrine that the mortification of the body lead to liberation, many an ascetic performed penances by beating their bodies with the aggregate of five fires burnt around their bodies under the scorching heat of the sun. Some of the ascetics went to the extent of lying down on the sharp edges of iron nails. It was a predominantly religious' age. The kings and their subjects believed in the life of the spirit. The status of religion was higher than that of the state. But there were also those who repudiated religion, though they were in a negligible minority. However, they did not command respect in the society. That is why religion and those who practised it came to acquire considerable prestige. The number of ascetics in all the sects was fairly large. Thousands of monks were seen wandering in groups from village to village. They belonged to diverse sects and sub-sects, and met and engaged each other in metaphysical discussions to understand each other's view-point. The votaries of Sakti did not look upon the subduing of

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Before the Advent of Bhagavan Mahavira passions as indispensable. It was the spiritualists alone who considered it sine qua non. They, therefore, maintained that one could not attain liberation without getting freedom from the passions of attachment and aversion. Attachment to material comforts and sensuous pleasures is one of the instincts of man. It leads men to clash of interests. But when conflicts reach their climax, people are as by necessity driven to seek for spiritual solutions. This situation is a prelude to the advent of a great spiritual leader who would lift society to a higher stage of spiritual development. When the psychological background for a change has been prepared, society takes a leap. The Vajji Republic Twenty-five hundred years ago, the vast Indian sub-continent was divided into a number of tiny kingdoms. Although geographical expanse of the country at that time was larger than what it is today, there was nobody competent enough to bind these states into a single political unit. There was no Cakravarti (emperor) nor a central political leadership as we understand it today. There were two systems of government in the Eastern region. The states of Anga, Magadha, Vatsa etc. were monarchies. Those of Kasi, Kausala, Videha etc. on the other hand were republics. Two of these republics were quite well-known, the Republics of the Vajjis or Licchavis and that of the Mallas. Republics were later developments of monarchies and the precursors of democracies. The Licchavis founded their Republic with a view to consolidating their political power. The credit for its foundation goes to Cetaka, who was a wise and valorous king of Videha. He was also the President of the whole Republic. This RepubJic was the union of eighteen political units, nine of which belonged to the Licchavis and the remaining nine to the Mallas.

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Bhagavan Mahavira The Kings of each Unit comprising the Vajji Republic were called Gananayakas. The council of the Gananayakas was called Gana Sabha or Republican Council. It made the constitution and the laws. The individual units were governed in accordance with the constitution of the gana or the Union. The Vajji Republic was rich and well-developed in the fields of Politics, Economics, Society and Religion. The monarchists were highly jealous of this powerful Republic. They were bent upon destroyiog it. But they were helpless in the face of the powerful Vajjian army. Videha with its capital at Vaisali was the biggest unit. Vaisali was divided into three zones. The first zone consisted of seven thousand residential houses with golden domes. The middle of the town consisted of fourteen thousand hou. ses with silver domes. The third zone consisted of twentyone thousand houses with copper domes. These zones were inhabited by the high, middle and lower classes respectively. Vaisali was not only the capital of the Licchavis, it was the capital of the entire Vajji Republic. It was enclosed within four city walls, each at a distance of two miles from the others. It had several ramparts and entrance-gates. The Republic was a confederation of six clans viz. the Ugras, the Bhojas, the Rajanyas, the Iksvakus (the Licchavis), the Jnatas and the Kauravas. The Malla Republic was divided into two units, one in the north-west with its capital at Kusinara and the other in the south-east with Pava as its capital. It extended as far in the east as the river Gandaka. In the west it extended upto Gorakhpur. In the north and the south it extended up to Nepal and the river Ganges respectively. Although it was an autonomous political unit, its Gananayakas were the members of the powerful Vajji Republic. Its representatives in the Repulican Council were entitled to vote. The centre of the Vajji Republic lay in Videha in the north of the Ganges which divided the Vajjis from Magadha. 1. It is now the Village Basadha in the Ratti Paragana of District Muzaffarpur. 2. Licchavi, Vajji (Sanskrit: Vriji) and Vaisalika are synonyms. Manu smrti, 10/10, speaks of the Licchavis as Vratya.

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II THIRTY YEARS OF FAMILY LIFE Cetaka's father was called Keka, his mother Yasomati and his wife Pytha. The people of the Vajji Republic enjoyed religious freedom. Cetaka was the follower of the arhat religion as taught by Bhagavan Parsva. Some of the leaders of the clans also followed this religion. A few were adherents of the Vedic religion also. Those religious diversities did not at all interfere with the political administration of the Republic. Siddhartha and Trisala There was a settlement known as Kundapura near Vaisali. Its southern part was inhabited by Brahmanas. It was, therefore, called Brahmana Kundapura. The northern part was inhabited by the Ksatriyas and was, therefore, called Ksatriya Kundapura. The ruler of Brahmana Kundapura was Rsabhadatta while that of Ksatriya Kundapura was Siddhartha. The religion of Parsva had a very large following in Videha. Both Rsabhadatta and Siddhartha were followers of this religion. Ancient Indian religion had two independent traditionsthe Sramana and the Brahmana traditions. The Ugras, the Bhojas, the Rajanyas, the Ksatriyas, the Jnatas, the Kauravas and the Dravidas were the followers of the Sramana religion. The Brahmana community followed the Vedic religion. On account of a long coexistence the two traditions began to mingle together. Some of the Ksatriyas adopted the Vedic customs and some of the Brahmanas adopted the Sramana customs. 1. Harisenacarya in his Brhatkatha Kosa mentions Subhadra as the name of Cetaka's queen.

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Bhagavan Mahavira The twentyfour tirtharkaras of the Jaipas were all Ksatriyas. The Ksatriyas were mostly adherents of the Jaina religion. This, however, does not imply any caste basis of the religion. Although religion was a personal affair, yet it influenced the society also. Religion was an important consideration in matters of marriage like physique, wealth and beauty. NorImally girls were given in marriage to coreligionists only. Maharaja Keka's daughter Trisala was married to Siddhartha. This fact strengthened the relations between Vaisali and Ksatriya Kundapura. Awaiting the Dawn There is a word Samana in the Prakrit language. Its Sanskrit form sramana has three meanings : 1. One who exerts himself or has diligence (srama). 2. One who is calm and maintains equanimity (sama). 3. One who treats every one equally (Sama). The Sramana culture is grounded in these three main principles namely, exertion, equanimity and equality. It has been engaged in the practice and dissemination of these principles from the beginning of civilization. Bhagavan Rsabha was the pioneer of this culture. Bhagavan Parsva was the twentythird tirtharkara in the tradition. He was the prince of Varanasi and was born in 877 B.C. and initiated in 847 B.C. It was mainly due to Bhagavan Parsva that ahinsa came to occupy the character of a collective spiritual discipline and underwent a qualitative change. Before Bhagavan Parsva, ahirsa was regarded as a personal discipline only. Bhagavan Parsva's efforts transformed it into a social force. Ahissa is the modern version of the old concept of Sramana. It includes the three meanings of the term Sramana. One who does not earn his living by his own

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Thirty Years of Family Life exertion cannot be a follower of ahimsa, nor can one who does not value peace in life. Similarly, one who does not practise equality cannot practise non-violence. Bhagavan Parsva gave a momentum to the movement of ahimsa as a result of which the people of Sindhu, Sauvira, Anga, Kuru, Pancala, Kasi and Kausala came under its influence. The soothing message of ahimsa came as a great relief to the victims of widespread violence in the same way in which the first showers of the summer rain are welcome to those sweating in the heat of the summer sun. The movement which had once grown weak was now made powerful again by Bhagavan Parsva. His campaign to establish ahimsa as a social ideal made him very popular. This made him rise above the limitations of the old Sramana tradition. He became a cosmopolitan figure. He attained nirvana in 777 B.C. The rising sun floods the whole world with light, but when it sets, everything is again plunged into darkness. This drama is enacted every day. Lord Parsva appeared on the stage of history like the rising sun and enlivened the world with the light of ahimsa but soon after his nirvana the movement of ahimsa began to grow thin. His followers becams inactive. Let us keep in mind the elementary truth that every particle of the world shines by the light of the sun and that as soon as the sun sets, the particles grow dark. That has been the fate of the history of mankind also. The appearance of a great man on the scene opens a new chapter in history, but soon after his death, historical progress slows down and ultimately comes to a stand-still. Those who illumine the world with their own light are very few indeed and the world seldom shines by its own light. Hardly two hundred years had gone by after the nirvana of Bhagavan Parsva when the steady onward movement of ahimsa lost its force. The dark forces of inaction, disquiet and inequality engulfed the people so much so that they began to await eagerly a

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10 Bhagavan Mahavira new dawn to appear. The Sunrise The spring came and began to make its presence felt everywhere. Clad in the happy and colourful garments of new-born leaves the forest trees began to stir with life. The fragrance-laden flowers filled the atmosphere with their sweet smell and the spiring breeze carried it to distant corners. The sun rose on the morning of the thirteenth day of bright half of the lunar month of Caitra in this atmosphere. Trisala gave birth to a son. It was a wonderful baby born at a wonderful moment. The mother, father and kinsmen of the child as well as Nature herself began to beam with joy. There was cheerfulness everywhere. The birth of a child is not an accident. It is a definite link in the endless chain of destiny. It is true that new-born child comes all alone and barehanded in the world, but it is also equally true that its subtle body and mind contains infinite potentialities. It was this child who came to be known by the epithet Mahavira (i.e. a great hero) thirty years later. Nobody can aspire to become a Mahavira overnight. It takes ages to build a personality of courage and valour, and it had happened so in the case of Bhagavan Mahavira. There is an old story. King Prajapati of Potanpur had two sons, Acala and Triprstha. One day a dance performance had been arranged in the court. The king, the princes and the courtiers watched the absorbing art of the dancers with great interest. Suddenly a visitor entered the court and disturbing the performance went straight to the king. The king suspended the performance, stood up to receive the visitor and began to listen to him. Prince Triprstha felt offended. He enquired of his adviser inquisitively who the visitor was and how he was being given so much attention by his father. He was told that the visitor was the envoy of King. Asvagriva, the Prativasudeva

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Thirty Years of Family Life 11 (monarch of half of the world), who was the overlord of King Prajapati. The prince was put to silence. When the envoy was about to return, the prince accosted him and said, "Mind you, don't disturb such functions in the future. This time I pardon you". The envoy pocketed the insult for the time being. But when he presented himself to his Sovereign to report on his mission, he complained against how he had been insulted by the prince. Asvagriva was enraged and despatched another envoy to Potanpur to order Prajapati to guard the rice fields. This put Prajapati in a dilemma. He told the prince that the envoy had avenged himself for the insult meted out to him by the prince and as a result of which he had been ordered to guard the rice fields out of turn. The prince asked his father not to worry and promised to meet the situation himself. He requested his father to depute him to the rice field. Both the princes arrived at the rice fields with a few soldiers. The officer-in-charge of the fields told them that a lion was at large stalking the valley and en treated them to protect the farmers. Thinking it to be a long drawn out affair, Prince Triprstha decided to locate the lion immediately. Helped by the local people he arrived at the lion's den. A beat by the soldiers forced the lion out. Prince Triprstha was a dare-devil and preferred to meet the lion bare-handed. He jumped down from his chariot and threw away his weapons. The frantic lion rushed at Triprstha. The prince caught the jaws of the lion with both his hands and tore the beast into two like a worn out piece of cloth to the amazement of the onlookers. Then he called the officer of the forest and asked him to inform Asvagriva that the lion had been slain and that he was now returning home. This very Triprstha, after having gone through several cycles of births and rebirths, was born as the son of Siddhar. tha. His valour now found new fields of operation. It was now oriented towards spiritual achievements. Now it was

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Bhagavan Mahavi, a not a valour inspired by violent dispositions. It had assume spiritual dimensions. And yet it was not an accidental change. The new orientation was the logical outcome of the sadhana performed by the soul of Triprstha in the course of numerous previous births. Let us not forget that every event has a chain of causes behind it. The Dreams of the Mother Queen Trisala had already given birth to her first son called Nandivardhana. The soul of Triprstha was born to her as the second son. She felt an unprecedented joy on the night of her conceiving the child. She saw a series of significant dreams in a half-waking state. She woke Siddhartha up and told him that she felt something extraordinary. "I saw an elephant and a bull and several other things in my dream. I feel a very pleasant sensation. The whole atmosphere seems to be throbbing with light and joy", she reported to her husband and added, "I expect some extra-ordinary event to happen". Siddhartha sensed the situation and remarked, "Darling, you have seen very auspicious dreams. You are a fortunate lady and will bring fortune to our family." Thus encoura. ged, the queen's joy knew no bounds. In a state of exhilaration she retired to her bed-chamber. She remembered the saying that one who has seen an auspicious dream should not again go to sleep after one has been awakened from the dream. She remained awake for the rest of the night. The rays of the sun had pierced the far ends of the earth. Everyone had applied himself to the day's business. The king sat in the audience hall with the queen. He called upon the chief courtier to summon the sooth-sayers to his audience. The sooth-sayers presented themselves before the king. They were honourably received. The king began to consult them on the queen's dreams. They examined the contents of

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Chirty Years of Family Life he dreams and said, "The queen has seen very significant dreams. She will give birth to a son who will be a Cakra. varti (universal emperor)." The queen's face flushed with the forecast about her son becoming a Cakravarti. The king's face beamed with joy. Expectations are more thrilling than actual happenings. The picture of the Vaisali Republic changed into the picture of an Empire in the imagination of the king. The picture of a vast Empire was grand indeed, but Siddhartha was stunned to imagine that the values and ideals which the ganademocracy had cherished and practised will come to an end with the establishment of the expected Empire. These ideals were the ideals of the dignity and freedom of man. Siddhar. tha had been striving for the strengthening of these ideals in the life of the gana and had never been enamoured of the idea of an Empire. The future seemed to cause him anxi. ety. It was horrible to imagine his own son destroying those ideals. He became sad and perplexed. The leader of the sooth-sayers gave his further reading : "Our prophesy needs an amendment after a careful study of the queen's dream." The king impatiently interfered and asked, "Is not my son going to be a Cakravarti ?" The soothsayer replied, "He will certainly be a Cakravarti, but he will preserve the ideals and values of the ganatantra of Vaisali. He will be a Dharma-cakravarti, the Emperor of the Kingdom of Religion, and will develop the ideals of ahimsa, freedom, relativism, co-existence and non-possessiveness. He will be a great exponent of these." Siddhartha's perplexity was over. He sighed a sigh of relief and thanked the sooth-sayers. The queen was no less. happy than the king. Their worldly joy changed into a pious mood. Joy born of a sense of worldly gains is not pure joy. It is alloyed with passion. Spiritual joy is perfectly pure. It can never be followed by sorrow.

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-14 Bhagavan Mahavira The king amply rewarded the sooth-sayers and applied himself to his routine duties. The Resolution in the Womb There are things in the world which we cannot easily believe in. We are accustomed to believe in those things only which we have seen with our own eyes. It is common knowledge that the mind of a child grows with the growth of his sense-organs and the brain. Knowledge is not innate in the mind of a child. The reader will be surprised if he were told that the son of Trisala commanded extra-sensory perception while he was still in the womb of his mother. Experience tells us that a child in the womb is not even capable of having sensory knowledge, not to a speak of supersensory knowledge. Miraculous events create all kinds of doubts. The child which Trisala had conceived had been born in his previous lives as an ascetic called Nandan. He had performed long tapas (penances). He would remain absorbed in meditation for a whole month without eating anything. At the end of the month be would take meals for a single day only and then again begin another month-long meditation. These tapas and meditations lasted for years and years together in a series. Service and meditation were blended together in the saint's life. Subtle powers had come to acquire perfect control over gross ones. By removing the effects of karma enveloping his consciousness he had permanently developed the capacity for pratyaksa or direct perception, avadhi jnana which may be called as clairvoyance. While it was still in the womb, the child, out of compassion for its mother, decided not to move and stir in the womb. Why should it cause pain to its mother or to any. body else, it thought. Its soul had been soaked in ahimsa from time immemorial. It had been immersed in compassion. Moved by these it stopped stirring in the mother's womb like a yogi lost in meditation.

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Thirty Years of Family Life 15 When Trisala did not feel the foetus stirring in the womb, she became sad. Doubts possessed her. After some time she disclosed her condition to her attendants. The king also came to know what was happening to the queen. He too became gloomy. The entire household shared the anxiety and sadness of the royal couple. The unborn child perceived what was happening in the external world. He saw sadness and anxiety pervading the whole atmosphere of the palace. He soon came to know the cause of the sudden change and reflected, "This world is really mysterious. That which is done for the good of mankind is regarded as a source of evil. I had stopped stirring out of compasion for my mother. This has caused distress to everyone. The world is accustomed to gross things only beyond which it is incapable of imagining anything." It decided to stir again. When Trisala felt the stir in the womb, her face beamed with joy and the gloom changed into exaltation. The news reached the king also. Once again the palace became gay and assumed a festive appearance. The child in the womb reflected upon the mental state and ambitions of its parents. Out of affection for them, it resolved not to become an ascetic after he had been born during the lifetime of his parents. The Wonderful Child After all, Trisala was delivered of the child. The birth was celebrated with universal excitement and joy. The mother was the happiest woman on that day. The dreams she had dreamt and the prophesies made by the sooth-sayers etc. began to float in her memory making her still more cheerful. Trisala had taken every care and practised discipline for the safety and good of the child she had conceived. She took very meagre meals during her pregnancy. She avoided all kinds of rich and harmful food. She lived on a balanced

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16 Bhagavan Mahavira diet. She tried to keep herself as cheerful as she could by avoiding sadness, anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy, envy etc. Sbe kept the entire atmosphere cheerful and sweet. She walked slowly, spoke in soft tones and never laughed aloud. She would not sit under the open sky and would not make any kind of hurry. The best development of the child takes place in the womb of mother. The mother is to a very large extent responsible for the development. The mother who knows her responsibility will certainly give birth to a child which is beautiful, enlightened and valorous. An ignorant mother, on the other hand, gives birth to a child who is ugly, unintelligent and timid. Trisala fulfilled her responsibility successfully. Therefore, she gave birth to a child fully beautiful and possessed of the best qualities. The child was born with divine characteristics. He commanded a wonderful form. His breath was sweet and fragrant. It made the whole atmosphere saturated with a sweet smell. It was a wonderful thing. It was an indication of the fact that the child would be the dharma-cakravarti. The child did not emit any sweat or dirt from its body. Sweat cleans the body of all kinds of dirty substances. But the child was inherently pure in every respect. There was nothing unhealthy in its body. The purity of the soul destroys all the ailments of the body. The flesh and blood of the child's body maintained a white colour which is a sacred mystery and need not be explained in terms of the Laws of Physiology according to which the blood of a human being contains white as well as red corpuscles. Diseases develop and the body may die even if one variety of these corpuscles is out of the required proportion. This child's body might have maintained a balance between the two kinds of corpuscles and still the colour of its flesh and blood might have remained white like milk. Thousands of people came to have a look at the extraordinary child and they became exhilarated by the sweet

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Thirty Years of Family Life odour its body emitted. The child was born at a wonderful moment. The breeze was mild and pure. It blew soft. It was spring. The woods were articulate and the trees had become laden with new leaves. It was the thirteenth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Caitra. It was the time of midnight. The portents were auspicious. The planets stood high. Nature greeted the birth of the child with all her cheerfulness and grandeur. (See horoscope in the appendix) The darkness of the night disappeared and rays of the sun brightened every particle of the earth. Nature began to appear neat and clean. At this sacred hour, Siddhartha was informed by a slave girl that the queen had been delivered of a son. The king's heart began to throb with joy which knew no bounds. He rewarded the slave girl with invaluable presents and accorded to her the status of a free citizen for ever. This emancipation of the slave girl was a symbol of the charity the new-born prince was to practise in the future. The king called the Chief Minister and ordered him to celebrate the happy birth of the prince in the most befitting manner. The king's mind was filled with great expectations. and new aspirations. The capital was profusely decorated and prisoners were ordered to be released from the prison as is done on such occasions. The happy occasion was to be celebrated with all pomp and show and gaiety. The king expressed the wish that all commodities should be sold in the market at cheaper prices and that the poor should be fed free. The shopkeepers were to be compensated for the loss they would suffer. The Minister was miserly, but looking to the occasion he agreed with the king. The king's wish was announced to the citizens in no time to their great pleasure. The whole day was spent by the people in joyous festivities. The celebrations lasted for seven days to the great comfort of the poor.

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18 Bhagavan Mahavira Vardhamana Name and form are the basic constituents of the universe. The king's son had been born with a beautiful form. He had yet to be named. The king invited all his relatives to a grand feast. The question of giving a name to the child came up for consideration. It was customary for the parents to choose a name for their child. The king observed: "Ever since Trisala had conceived the child, our family has grown richer in every respect. Prosperity has been followed by increasing love among the members of family. Keeping in mind all this, I like to name the child as Vardhamana (literally meaning ever-prospering)." The queen agreed with the king and the child acquired the name Vardhamana. Vardhamana began to grow with time and along with him the prosperity of the family also began to increase. A growing child acquired new characteristics. In the case of the prince, tendencies he had acquired in the previous births began to grow thin. The child never wept nor laughed. He always remained in a contented mood and a strange aura shone on his face. He was quite active like a growing child but never restive. Some times his serious face perplexed the nurses. The rise in the level of his consciousness had far surpassed the growth of his body. Those who looked at him in a cursory way felt him to be a problem child. But Vardhamana himself had outgrown all problems. Even as a small child, he appeared to be unattached to everything. He did not seem to have any physical attraction towards food and play. His spiritual growth made all the things of the world appear to be devoid of any kind of attraction for him. This state of his being hinted towards his great future. Fearlessness and Exertion of Spiritual Vigour Success in life depends on two factors: wisdom and energy. Knowledge unattended by power is pitiable and power uucontrolled by wisdom is dangerous. A harmonious

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Thirty Years of Family Life combination of the two makes a man fearless and strong. Vardhamana possessed both in equal proportion. He was never touched by any kind of fear. Once his playmates persuaded him to play the Amalaki game with them. They played in the garden of the house. All the children ran towards the tree. Vardhamana outran everyone else and climbed up the tree. When he was coming down, he saw a huge snake coiling around the trunk of the tree. The snake hissed at the sight of Vardhamana. Struck with fear the rest of the children ran away. Vardhamana, however, remained unruffled. He caught hold of the snake and disentangling it from the tree threw it away. He climbed down the tree and his playmates applauded him. He had won the game. Vardhamana was hardly eight years old, but his fearlessness and strength came to be recognised even at that tender age. Being born in a family of the Ksatriya he began to exhibit the character of a Ksatriya. He was also born with the accumulated strength of sadhana he had performed in the course of his previous lives. The spiritual and physical growth impressed everyone. 19 Knowledge is a part of the spiritual energy of man. One who is devoid of this cannot acquire knowledge and one who is devoid of knowledge cannot rightly exhibit spiritual energy. A proper synthesis of both leads to success. Vardhamana had both spiritual energy and knowledge in him. His relatives knew that the child was physically strong, but they did not know that he had knowledge also. He was sent to school as usual at the age of eight. (There are some who say that he never went to school). Vardhamana was a very respectful child.. He was very much devoted and obedient to his parents. As his extrasensory knowledge had already become well-developed, he was conversant with what was being taught at school. Yet "

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20 Bhagavan Mahavira he joined school simply because he had been commanded to do so. The teacher welcomed him and he joined his companions. It is said that Indra, the king of gods, disguised himself as a Brahmana and came to the school to test Vardhamana. He came to Vardhamana and asked him several questions about letters and their combinations. The child's answers were grammatically so much of a higher standard that the Brahmana Indra suggested to the teacher that the child was master of subjects taught in that kind of a school, and hence needed no more schooling. The teacher felt himself to be too small before Vardhamana. He asked the latter to remove his confusion in matters of teaching. The child did so easily and promptly. Vardhamana was removed from the school and the king was told that he had done his schooling. Vardhamana's relatives now began to acknowledge the depth of his knowledge too. It is really more difficult to fathom person's internal depth than the external one. Detachment and Marriage Time moves on. It is never at a stand-still. Vardhamana grew up and stood at the threshold of youth. He commanded a very healthy, beautiful and strong personality. It was time to think of the marriage of the young prince. The king and the queen considered the matter. Jitasatru, the King of Kalinga, sent an envoy to Siddhartha with the proposal of the marriage of his daughter with Vardhamapa. They were slightly suprised at the proposal. They knew that their son was too much devoted to the self. He mostly lived in the world of his own consciousness. The desire to see the line of succession continue compelled the king and the queen to accept the proposal of Jitasatru. The envoy returned carrying the message of the acceptance of the proposal for marriage. When his father informed Vardhamana of the acceptance

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Thirty Years of Family Life 21 of the proposal of the latter's marriage, the prince found himself in a strange situation. He had been absorbed in the spiritual reality, trying to feel his oneness with it. His life in the family did not at all disturb his spiritual preoccupations. Marriage implies duality. One has to enter into worldly relations with another being. The husband's consciousness will have to be diverted to the external world. Vardhamana was unwilling. Unattachment The prince lived in the royal palace surrounded by relatives, servants and all kinds of prosperity and comforts but his mind was turned inwards into the depths of the self. His tendencies had become spiritualized. Man's ego remains shared by the attractions of the world when his spiritual consciousness is undeveloped. Once the spirit wakes up, sensuous pleasures do not attract him any more and the world begins to appear to be tasteless. Vardhamana's spirit had attained this stature and he lived in the world unattached like the lotus in the pond. Vardhamana had his own spiritual kingdom to rule and he seemed to live in a different orld to the amazement of his parents and relatives. He observed strict austerity in matter of food. This was resented by all. They failed to appreciate his abstinence. Similarly they could not understand the attitude of compassion and equality which the prince adopted towards everyone. People had expected him to develop an authoritarian attitude as a prince. People believe that everyone should swim with the current. But there are some who would like to swim against the current. They like to toe an independent line. Such people become a problem for their relatives and friends. The parents of the prince wanted to see him behave like a traditional prince. But the prince had become enlightened and sought new horizons. It was impossibe for him to be traditional in his attitude.

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22 Bhagavan Mahavira Mahabbiniskramana (The Great Renunciation) The Wheel of Time revolves ceaselessly producing changes in the states of all things. Poised on this wheel the child becomes young and the young man enters into old age. The young prince arrived at the age of twenty-eight. Having grown old his parents passed away. The royal family was plunged into sorrow as a result of their death. The prince loved his parents, but their death did not affect him at all, The spiritual heights he had attained made him averse to pleasures and pains. He was not a sheer philosopher. He had a direct perception of Truth. He did not take death seriously. It was to him a normal happening in life. The ties of affection which bound him to his parents broke. His resolve to serve his parents during their life-time had served its purpose. There now arose in him the great desire to renounce the world. He apprised his elder brother of his intention. Nandivardhana was shocked to hear of his plans. His whole being trembled and he began to weep. He had hapdly recovered from the shock of the death of his parents when he was called upon to face a new situation. He knew that relieved by the death of his parents his brother thought it the right time to renounce the world. His mind had already been seized of a spiritual fervour. The death of the near and dear ones does produce a mood of aversion to the world. One who has a spiritual inclination is all the more prone to the desire for renunciation. Nandivardhana felt that his younger brother had been seized of a strong inclination to renounce the world, but he felt nervous and was unwilling to part company with his younger brother at this stage. He would not be able to stand two successive shocks. Prince Vardhamana did not like to cause any kind of inconvenience to anybody. His mind was full of love and compassion and this forced him to remain with his family for another two years. He passed through a strange state of mind. He was neither a house-holder nor a recluse during

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23 Thirty Years of Family Life these two years. He realized his self and remained in a state of complete surrender of all worldly activities. He had developed a feeling of complete equality with all the living beings of the world. He saw life in raw water and left using it. He acquired complete control over his sense-organs. He had mastered the process of meditation with a full control over his speech. Although he lived in the family, his life was that of a recluse. He still had the responsibilities of his family on him and could not be called a recluse even. A year passed. Now there was an interval of only a year between Vardhamana's present way of life and the one he intended to follow in the future. Though he led a worldly life, his mind remained occupied with the idea of renounc-:. ing the world. He was no doubt surrounded by the grandeur of the royal family, but his conscience was busy planning a friar's career for himself. He did not like wealth accumulating in the hands of a few. Every morning he would give up a part of his wealth and income, and share them with thousands of needy persons. This continued for a full year. He had now nothing left to give up. The course of dana (giving) ended and that of aparigraha (nou-possession) was to begin. Two years went by. Nandivardhana's imposition of the time-limit was over. The prince felt that now it was time for him to renounce the world. He had no hitch whatsoever. He, therefore, placed again his proposal to leave the family before brother Nandivardhana and uncle Suparsva. They agreed with him. The Great Exit took place at the muhurta called Vijaya, in the third quarter of the tenth day of the first half of the lunar month of Margasirsa in the season of Hemanta (autumn) (corresponding to the month of November). Prince Vardhamana had been fasting for the last two days. He had a peculiar way of fasting because he was realizing that his body was entirely different from his soul.

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Bhagavan Mahavira One who is not able to distinguish between the soul and the body attaches value to the body, but one who has the right knowledge to distinguish between the two puts a premium on the soul alone. For him living for the body is no life at all. He lives in order to liberate the soul from the bondage of the world. It is necessary to free oneself from the limitations imposed by the body in order that the soul might be liberat. ed. Fasting is a part and parcel of this process of liberation. Fasting leads a man into the independent world of the soul. The prince had attained this state and renounced the world. Only those who have attained self-enlightenment can renounce the world. Vardhamana's renunciation was marked by rejoicings in the family. Young girls sang songs of joy and the sky resounded with the music of instruments. The bards recited auspicious hymns. There was a happy commotion everywhere. But Vardhamana sat engulfed in his own loneliness, forgetful of the noisy atmosphere. Seated in a palanquin the prince left home for the Joatakhanda forest. Nandivardhana and Suparsva and a crowd of thousands of people ascorted him to the forest. The prince alighted from the palanquin, stood under an Asoka tree, took off the householder's garments and became a nirgrantha (ascetic). The strain of music stopped and everyone began to gaze at the prince. Nature seemed to be engulfed in a strange calmness. The prince plucked off the hair of his head and stood looking towards the horizon between the east and the north. His face beamed with joy and a divine light shone on his forehead. The whole atmosphere pulsated with jny and enthusiasm. Folding both his hands, the prince said, "I bow to the Perfect Beings." As soon as he had dedicated himself to the attainment of liberation, his egotism and attachment disappeared. He resolved whole-heartedly to follow the principle of equanimity and not to do any action born of attachment or aversion. Attachment and aversion

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Thirty Years of Family Life give birth to inequality and sin. One who renounces passions becomes unfettered-a nirgrantha. A nirgrantha is one who is free from inhibitions. Prince Vardhamana assumed the status of Sramana Vardhamana in the presence of the people of Ksatriya Kundapura. He no more belonged to the kingdom he had left behind. He had now entered into an empire where there were no rulers and the ruled. He left behind the ties of his family and entered into a new family where there was no distinction between 'mine' and 'thine'. Thousands of people shed tears to see him leave the boundaries of Ksatriya Kundapura and followed him feeling sad at the solemn parting. It is a strange custom of the world to treat one as our own till he lives with us and to treat him as a stranger as soon as he had estranged himself from us. Sramana Vardhamana now appeared to be such a stranger to the people of Ksatriya Kundapura. Vardhamana remarked : "Now I am a Sramana. I have risen above the limitations of the state and the nation. You the are citizens of a state living within its boundaries. No boundaries surround me. I am a wandering ascetic. How far will you be able to accompany me?" He then took leave of the followers and went ahead alone. The last stage of the individual's development is a state of loneliness. Sramana Vardhamana appeared to be an example of this. He transcended the limitations of time and space, completely cut off from his people. People watched him disappear in the distance and returned home. Nandivardhana took charge of the affairs of the State and Sramana Vardhamana installed himself as the emperor of the Kingdom of the Spirit. Nandivardhana's duties were of a gross and simple nature; those of Sramana Vardhamana were subtle and complex. But he was bent on changing the complex into the simple. 25

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III THE PERIOD OF SADHANA (SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE) The Sacred Grove After becoming an ascetic, Vardhamana needed no secu rity. He was no longer a private individual now. He began to treat everyone as a welcome visitor with whatever purpose he came. His life of spiritual discipline began with the resolution : "I dedicate myself to the highest liberation. I shall no longer be interested in my physical body and shall bear all kinds of calamities whether they are brought about by gods, human agencies or animals. I shall in no case deviate from the path of sadhana." His sadhana began with the above resolution. This was an exhibition of his spiritual strength. The seeds of spiritual strength are inherent in every man. What is needed is a strong will to enable them to sprout. A weak person will keep them dormant. Vardhamana knew his will. He had been resolute from the very beginning. His will-power began to exert itself. A man who is irresolute becomes a prey to all kinds of fears. Only he who fears needs security. Sramana Vardhamana had shed all fear. He had risen above his old limitations. He took the entire world to be a testing ground of his courage. Fear remains entrenched in the body. One who attaches no importance to the body is never afraid of anything. By giving up attachment to the body, Vardhamana became fearless. Fear is born of the desire for possessions or possessiveness. Vardhamana became fearless, because he had assumed

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The Period of Sadbana 27 an attitude of non-possession. Fear takes root in us when we feel that we have enemies. Vardhamana became fearless because he assumed an attituue of friendliness towards everyone. He began to traverse the path leading to infinity. He never thought of what was going to happen to him the next day. He did not care for food, shelter and the inclemency of the weather. All the anxieties disappaered with the renunciation of his interest in his body. He had already discarded his clothes and begun to wander naked. Even a month-long starvation did not interfere with his practice of spiritual discipline. The shades of the forest trees served as a home for him. Some times he took shelter in houses which had been abandoned or in sequestered temples. Only those who are habituated to putting on clothes, eating regular meals and living in sheltered houses feel difficulties when they do not get these. Vardhamana put on the clothes of self-certainty, began to live in the home of consciousness and to draw strength from subtle spiritual world. He experienced no difficulty. Having left Ksatriya Kundapura he arrived at Karmaragrama in the evening. He remained standing in a state of meditation near the village. The first day here was the day of test for bim. A farm-boy happened to return to the village from the farm. He had a pair of bullocks with him. He saw the monk standing there. In anticipation that he would look after his bullocks, he left the bullocks with Vardhamana and went away. The bullocks began to graze and in a short time strayed far away. Vardhamana was all along lost into tie depths of his soul in a state of intense meditation. It had grown completely dark and nothing was visible. The farmboy returned after having milked his cows in the village. He could not trace his bullocks. He enquired of Vardhamana

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28 Bhagavan Mahavira about them. Getting no reply from the Sramana be went about in search of them. He searched for them till late in the night but in vain. He was now so tired that he fell asleep. He got up early in the morning and again began the search for his bullocks but again in vain. When he was again returning to the village, he found the builocks standing near the monk. The boy began to feel suspicious about the Sramana whom he thought to be a thug. The presence of the bullocks with the Sramana strengthened his suspicion. He thought that the Sramana would steal the bullocks away. He had kept them hidden last night. Strength of a wrong conviction enraged the farm-boy so much so that he rushed at the Bramana to strike him with the rope he carried. It was a strange coincidence that as the farm-boy raised the rope to strike, Nandivardhana suddenly arrived at the spot. He intervened and persuaded the farm-boy to go. Then he said to the Sramana, "Till yesterday you had commanded the status of a prince. Nobody could dare to offend you. Today you are in the position of an insignificant man. It's a pity, you have no security arrangements. It's intolerable. Let me make security arrangements for you." Sramana Vardhamana replied with a smile on his lips, "Whose security ? I have deliberately chosen the path of equanimity. I lrave willingly adopted the path of ahinsa. I do not know who needs the security you are speaking of. I am no more in an egocentric body. I am now firmly entrenched in myself. When I was in such a body, I had the longing to live and was afraid of death. I desired comforts and feared pain. I pined for fame and feared being criticised. I was greedy of gains and feared losses I don't have craving for life any more. Why should I then be afraid of death ? Those who have a longing for life fear death. I know what life and death are. I am not at all interested in them. One who has no desire to live will never crave for cumforts. The 1. There is also a heresy that Indra arrived at the spot,

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The Period of Sadhana 29 desire for comforts is an expression cf the desire for life. Man wants to live. Once he has begun to live a comfortable life, he desires more comforts. I don't crave to live and, therefore, I don't desire comforts. One who does not run after sensuous pleasure will never be afraid of misery. I have begun to treat pleasure and pain and life and death alike. I am perfectly secure. I am not undefended. I don't need any security." "Death is as natural as Life", he continued in a serene voice, "Why should we be afraid of it then ? Fear creates the need for security. Only he who has no fears can protect others. He who has a longing for life and fears death cannot protect anybody. How can you then protect me ?" Nandivardhana was stunned to hear this. He could not speak any more although he wanted to. Composing himself a little, he cleverly said, "Sire, you are a Mahavira (a great hero). How can I provide security for you? But if you like, I intend to help you a little." The Sramana replied, "That is also not possible. An arhat needs no help from others. . The arhats never needed, don't need now nor in the future shall need any help at all. They achieve the state of perfect knowledge as well as moksa or liberation through their own spiritual exertion. It is their own strength that helps them." After this bold declaration sramana Vardhamana came to be known as Mahavira. Nandivardhana said, "Bhagavan, you are indeed a Mahavira. Your resolution, your forbearance, your constancy and your spiritual achievements are really great. You are a great hero. We cannot even think of such courage and fearlessness. We live in the world of give and take ; we cannot be so indifferent." Nandivardhana was correct. There was hardly any exaggeration in his gestures. The involvements in the world do not allow people to take any interest in Truth. The

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Bhagavan Mahavira spiritually minded people identify their interests with Truth and as a result they are not interested in worldly affairs. The image of Bhagavan Mahavira which Nandivardhana had in his mind was that of a prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth and of a brother living in the midst of the comforts of the palace. Now he saw his brother wandering alone and unknown with no certainty of a shelter and food. He could not relish the prospect of people criticising him for having abandoned his brother in difficulties. But Bhagavan Mahavira lived in a different world. He did not think; he saw. While "thinking" always involves consideration of external situations, "seeing" is related to reality. Mahavira, when he saw, found that while an extrovert was bound by external ties, an introvert was always free. He experienced freedom within himself; he experienced Truth within himself. It is true that once we get attached to the external world, we lose sight of the Existence within and also that once we become absorbed in the Existence within, we become free from the worries of the external world. Mahavira had now attained this state. Therefore, he did not care a fig for anything including his body, life and death. Absolutely contented and carefree, he began to lead the life of a wandering ascetic. 30 Most of the sadhakas, during the period of their sadhana, like to live at one place only. Contrary to this, Mahavira wandered from place to place. He was of the opinion that one whose mind is not stable will not be able to concentrate even if he did not wander. On the other hand a wandering state will have the least effect on him whose mind is fixed. Also, how can one who has renounced possessiveness remain confined to any place? An aspirant to freedom cannot tie himself to a particular place. Mahavira had not yet transcended the body and as such its motion was inevitable in accordance with the laws of nature. Although he remained motionless during the greater

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The Period of Sadhana 31 part of the day and night, he had to move his body. While wandering Mahavira was not at all an extremist. He favoured neither motion nor motionlessness absolutely. He had affected a synthesis between the two states. All Living Beings are Equal Once Bhagavan Mahavira was going to northern Vacala through the hermitage of Kanakakhala. When the cowboys saw him, they came to him running and said, "Sir, the path through which you are going is a short-cut, no doubt, but it is fraught with dangers. A little ahead there is a snake called Candakausika. The person on whom it casts a glance would be burnt to ashes." They advised him to take another route and not to play havoc with life on purpose. It was a correct advice for those who long for life. But Mahavira had renounced all craving for keeping himself alive and therefore he also did not entertain any desire to die even. He saw life and death in a different perspective. Ordinarily we believe that one does not want to die also. But the truth is that he who wants to live also wants to die. Once the desire to die disappears, with it disappears the desire to live also. The desire for life is inseparably tied to the desire for death. Mahavira had risen above life and death which are like the two facets of a coin. He had become totally immersed in his soul which transcends life and death. He did not heed the warning given to him by the cow-boys and proceeded forward. He had adopted an equalitarian attitude towards all living beings. The prospect of encountering the snake was a welcome opportunity. He did not like to lose it. Without the least hesitation, there he walked up to the interior of the forest and began to meditate in a standing position. The snake appeared on the scene after it had taken a round of the hermitage. It became suddenly enraged when it sensed that somebody stood before it. It could not tolerate

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32 Bhagavan Mahavira the man encroaching upon his domain. It spread its hood, looked at the sun and then at Bhagavan Mahavira. The serpent began to spray its poison which spread over the aura around Mahavira's body. The entire atmosphere became poisoned, but Bhagavan Mahavira remained unaffected. He stood motionless in an atmosphere surcharged with poison. An endless stream of spiritual companion flowed from his steady gaze at the snake. There ensued a duel between love and rage, dectar and poison. Seeing all this, the snake could not believe his eyes. He was convinced that the person at whom he looked would be suddenly burnt to ashes. Now it was a new experience for it. It spitted more poison but finding the man before it unaffected its rage knew no bounds. It again tried to cast a dangerously poisonous glance at Bhagavan Mahavira but could not succeed. It tried a third time and again failed in its attempt. It moved nearer Bhagavan Mahavira, but the latter was perfectly composed. While the serpent sprayed poison at him, he continued to look at it kindly. It was a strange tussle between love and anger. The snake bit the foot of Bhagavan Mahavira and blood began to flow from it. The snake began to suck the blood but to his surprise he found that it was not blood he was sucking, but milk. The snake bit Bhagavan Mahavira's foot a second and then a third time and every time it felt that only milk flowed from the victim's body. The serpent coiled round the body of Bhagavan Mahavira but he could not upset him. The snake lost its self-confidence and presumptuousness. Its anger disappeared and it became calm. It ate a humble pie. Its grip on Bhagavan Mahavira's body began to become loose. Love became victorious. When Bhagavan Mahavira's meditation was over, he saw the motionless snake sitting docilely before him. He addressed the snake thus : "Candakausika, be calm! You are born as a snake because you had been a victim of anger in your previous life. Then you had been ascetic. You had once trampled to death a frog. One of

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The Period of Sadhana 38 your disciples had entreated you to do a penance for the sin but you refused to do so. "Enraged by the repeated entreaties of the disciple, you tried to strike him and having lost the sense of proportion you crashed against a pillar and broke your head. In the next life, you became the head of this hermitage where the inmates practised spiritual discipline. As you were prone to great anger, you were named Candakausika. Once the prince of Svetambi came to your hermitage and while he was plucking fruits and flowers you became so much enraged that you ran after him with an axe in your hand. You slipped on the ground and fell into a ditch and were fatally injured by your own axe. After the death, there you are as a reborn deadly poisonous serpent. You have already suffered much due to your passionate nature. Leave the passion of anger like your worn-out skin and be peaceful once for all." Candakausika began to remember its past life. All the events of that life began to float in its memory. His heart changed and the seeds of equalitarianism for all living beings began to sprout in him. Bhagavan Mahavira lived for fifteen days in the hermitage and observed complete fast during this period. The serpent aiso sat in attendance and fasted. On the fifteenth dark night of the lunar month of the Caitra, Candakausika gave up its body. Bhagavan Mahavira went to Uttaravacala to break his fast. He would not accept food especially prepared for him. Whatever food he got already cooked, he accepted it. While in search of such food, he went to the house of one, Nagasena. Nagasena offered him rice-pudding. Nagasena was very happy. Incidentally, his son who had been absconding for the last twelve years, returned. Nagasena's joy knew no bounds. After his meals Bhagavan Mahavira left Vacala and proceeded further. During the period of his sadhana, Bhagavan Mahavira mostly observed fast. The days of fasting outnumbered those

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Bhagavan Mahavira of taking meals. During his fasts, he would stay in the forests and enter a village only when he had to seek food. This routine continued during the period of his sadhana. Bhagavan Mahavira performed sadhana for twelve years and six and a half months. Most of this period was spent in meditation and he spoke little. For a few years he lived alone and for some time he was accompanied by Gosalaka. He patiently bore the inclemency of the weather as well as hardships caused by men, beasts and gods. His steadfastness was tested time and again, but he never lost it. He had delved so deep in his soul that these outward happenings would not affect him at all. Emancipation of a Slave-Girl It was the twelfth year of Bhagavan Mahavira's sadhana. He was putting up in Kausambi. He had developed supersensory knowledge ever since his birth. The moment he became an ascetic, he developed another kind of knowledgethe perception of thoughts of other people's minds. He was now about to attain the kevalajnana-omniscience. At this juncture, he decided to perform an experiment. This experiment was connected with an event. He had been performing sadhana in a state of reticence and even through it, he accomplished the good of others. Women and slaves led a wretched life those days. Religious prejudices had deprived women of the privilege of being treated equal to men. The misinterpretation of the doctrine of karma had resulted in a miserable existence for the slaves. The masters treated the slaves as cattle and could punish them in any cruel way they liked. They could be sold like cattle, tortured, mutilated and even punished with death. Neither the law nor any conscious religious opposition could interfere with this cruelty. This orgy of violence continued for centuries together in the name of custom, religion and fate. On the first day of the dark half of the lunar month of

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The Period of Sadhana 33 Pausa, Bhagavan Mahavira resolved to accept food under particular conditions only. This resolution went a long way to mitigate social injustice. Of course, he did not disclose this to anybody. Spiritual forces control the world in their own way by changing heart and correcting mental attitudes. The minds of the people of Kausambi were thoroughly shaken by the revolutionary plan of Bhagavan Mahavira within six months. He went out to collect food on the first day of the month. He visited several families and was greeted with great esteem. He was offered food everywhere but he returned without accepting anything from anybody. The next day also he went round in search of food and returned barehanded. People wondered as to why he had not accepted food anywhere. Nobody could understand him. People knew that during bis period of fasting he would not go to collect food. It was only after the period of fasting was over that he went about to do so. His visiting homes and returning without accepting food became the talk of the town. One day Bhagavan Mahavira visited the house of the minister Sugupta. Sugupta's wife Nanda was very much devoted to Bhagavan Mahavira. She insisted the Bhagavan on accepting food which she offered. Although the food was acceptable, Bhagavan Mahavira returned as usual without accepting it. Nanda became sad. She came to know from the gossip among the servants that Bhagavan Mahavira had not been taking any food for the last four months. This made Nanda all the more impatient. When Sugupta came home to lunch, he asked his wife the reason of her sadness. When she told him what had happened, he expressed his ignorance. The wife remarked ironically that the minister who administered the kingdom was expected to know everything going on in the town. Sugupta felt a little embarrassed and sent round his men to find out what had happened to Bhagavan Mahavira. Satanika was then the ruler of Kausambi. His queen, Mrgavati, was the daughter of King Cetaka. One of her

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36 Bhagavan Mahavira attendants, named Vijaya, happened to visit the house of the minister. She gathered what had been happening and informed her mistress Mrgavati who consulted her husband about the matter. There was a lot of talk about it in the whole of the Kingdom. The king and the minister tried their best to persuade Bhagavan Mahavira to accept food but in vain. His visits to the families and his returning without accepting food continued for five months and twentyfive days. On the twentysixth day he visited the house of Sresthi Dhanavaha. There Bhagavan Mahavira saw a girl with shaven head standing on the threshold. Her legs had been chained. After a three-day fast, she had been given a few boiled pulses in a winnower. Though born as a princess, she was then living the life of a slave-girl. There was the opportunity for Bhagavan Mahavira to translate his resolution into practice. On seeing Bhagavan Mahavira, she became extremely happy and forgot her miserable lot. She offered boiled pulses to him from her winnowing basket. She saw Bhagavan Mahavira approaching her to collect food, but alas, the very next moment she saw him turning back. He did not accept the food, so she became sad. She suddenly began to shed tears and sobbed. Tears rolling down her cheeks fulfilled all the conditions of Bhagavan's resolution. Mahavira returned and accepted the pulses he had been offered. The news of this event spread in the town like wild fire. That Bhagavan Mahavira had accepted food from the slavegirl of Sresthi Dhanavaha became the talk of the town. King Satanika and queen Mrgavati came to the house of the Sresthi to congratulate the slave-girl. They were surprised to see that the slave-girl was none other than Chandanabala, the daughter of King Dadhivahaha of Campa and wondered how she had been made a slave. (Candanabala's mother happened to be, the sister of Queen Mrgavati). When the people came to know the miserable plight of this girl, they

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The Period of Sadhana 37 began to become critical of the social customs based on injustice to human beings. They remarked, "Alas, if even a princess can be sold in a social system, just imagine what can become of others." The truth about the awful injustice done to the slaves dawned upon their minds. It was now impossible for them to reconcile themselves to the institution of slavery. The administration became worried about public opinion. It was a great challenge to the age-old institution of slavery. The first consequence of the great stir was that Candhanabala was released and emancipated.

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IV KAIVALYA (OMNISCIENCE) AND THE BHAGAVAN'S SERMONS The Accomplishment of Sadhana There can be no effect without a cause. For example, the mango tree laden with fruits must have an efficient as well as a material cause. There can be no mango tree unless there had been a seed. Moreover, the appropriate climate and the season must also contribute their sbare to the birth and growth of the tree. Similarly, no soul can become luminous without the light of consciousness. Also, the light of consciousness cannot manifest itself unless through meditation and spiritual discipline. Bhagavan Mahavira spent twelve years in the sadhana of meditation and self-discipline. He spent another six months and the seventh month was running. It was the tenth day of of bright half of the lunar month of Vaisakha. It was the time of afternoon and the vijaya muhurta had arrived. Bhagavan Mahavira was camping on the river Rjubaluka on the outskirts of the village Jambhiyagrama. He sat in the posture of a meditator in the rays of the sun near a sala tree in the farm of Syamak. He had been fasting and had not taken even water for the last two days. In the state of deep meditation, he established himself in perfect equanimity, extirpated the karmas responsible for delusion, ignorance, imperception and spiritual weakness and at once he attained the state of kaivalya or omniscience. His period of sadhana came to an end with the attainment of kaivalya. He now came to perceive and know the whole of reality directly. His consciousness had grown pure

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's Sermons 39 and devoid of any kind of obstruction. The dividing line between the knower and the known had disappeared. He had a direct perception of his own self as well as the entire world. He became omniscient. THE FIRST SERMON The fourfold path After he had attained kaivalya Bhagavan Mahavira id the first sermon explained the fourfold path of self-realisation :1. Samyak darsana-Spiritual experience of Reality or Faith in Truth, 2. Samyak jnana--Knowledge of Reality, 3. Samyak caritra-Spiritual Discipline, and 4. Samyak tapa--The washing off of the effects of accumulated karmas through right austerities. The world consists of two types of basic substances : the soul and the non-soul. A soul or atma bound by a body is called jiva or an embodied soul. A free or a disembodied soul is called Paramatma (Perfect Soul). That which causes transformation of the soul into the perfect soul is called dharma or religion. Muni-Dharma (Asceticism) The Principle of Equalitarianism comprises dharma and its opposite is adharma. All the living beings are equal to each other insofar as their potentialities are concerned. No 1. There are two traditional views about the first sermon. According to the first view, Bhagavan Mahavjra delivered his first sermon at Vipulacala. King Srenika and Queen Chelana were present there to hear the sermon. According to the second view, Bhagavan Mahavira delivered the first sermon at the very spot where he had attained kaivalya. Only the heavenly beings were present then ; there was no human being and therefore nobody took the major or the minor VOWS.

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Bhagavan Mahavira living being is smaller or greater in this respect. From the point of view of their development, the living beings can be classified into six categories : 1. Beings with earth-bodies viz. mineral substances. 2, Beings with water-bodies. 3. Beings with fire-bodies. 4. Beings with air-bodies. 5. Vegetation beings composed of vegetation bodies. 6. Mobile living beings. 1. Bhagavan Mahavira preached non-violence and said Don't kill any living being. Don't cause pain to anybody. Don't impose yourself on anybody. Don't bind and enslave anybody. This is the Principle of Equalitarianism. This is the religion of ahimsa (i.e. non-violence). It is the Eternal Religion. The following are the constituents of the Religion of Equalitarianism : * Don't be afraid of anybody, nor terrorise anybody. * Don't consider yourself nor others to be wretched. * Don't cherish hatred towards anybody. * Don't be sorry if you do not get what you have desired and don't be joyous if you get it. * Don't be elated in your happiness and dejected in your misery. * Don't be attached to life nor be afraid of death. Don't be puffed up by flattery nor be upset by criti cism. * If you are honoured, don't be proud, and if you are insulted, don't feel belittled. * Don't be disturbed by crises ; remain spiritually com posed in their midst. Ahimsa consists in an attitude of equanimity.

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's Sermons 41 2. Bhagavan Mabavira's sermon on truth : Truth is Supreme. Truth is the essence of the world. Seek truth and never be inclined towards falsehood. Truth is the Eternal Religion. In order to practise truth * Don't practise falsehood even through bodily actions. * Be straight-forward and ingenuous by expressing the same feelings which you have in your mind. * Speak the truth and don't tell a lie. * Don't be double-tongued and maintain a balance between what you say and what you do. * Don't be prone to anger. * Don't be covetuous. * Don't be afraid. * Don't indulge in revelry. Avoid falsehood at every step. Concentrate on sat (that which really is). Truth means meditation on sat. 3. The sermon on non-stealing : Control your desires. One who does not do so, encroaches upon the rights and property of others. This results in conflicts and the feelings of jealousy and enmity. These give birth to passions of attachment and aversion, and they in their turn produce delusion wbich ultimately results in misery. You cannot get rid of miseries without controlling desires. Control of desires is the Eternal Religion. In order to practise it - * Keep your needs at the minimum and don't use things unnecessarily. * Discriminate between what is necessary and what is not. Avoid desires. Non-stealing consists in the control of desires.

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Bhagavan Mahavira 4. The Sermon on celebacy : Control of the sexual desire is the key to the control of all kinds of attachments. One who has crossed the ocean can easily cross the river. Celebacy is the Eternal Religion. In order to practise it* Control your speech. * Control your eyes. * Don't recall the past enjoyments. * Control your food habits. Practise looking within the soul. Celebacy consists in penetrating into oneself, into the soul. 5. The sermon on non-possessiveness : A covetous man creates enemies. Therefore don't put premium on possession. Non-attachment is the Eternal Religion. In order to practise it : * Don't be attached to sounds. * Don't be attached to beauty. * Don't be attached to fragrance. * Don't be attached to tastes. * Don't be attached to touch. Non-possessiveness consists in avoiding attachments and their causes. The rules of samiti and gupti are meant for the practice of ahimsa. 1. Irya Samiti-Walking in a disciplined way. 2. Bhasa Samiti---Speaking in a disciplined way. 3. Esena Samiti--Accepting food in accordance with the rules of begging, and eating food in a disciplined way. 4. Adana Niksepa Samiti--Using equipments and uten sils in a disciplined way.

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's Sermons 5. Utsarga Samiti-Disposal of excreta in a disciplined way. 6. Discipline of the mental activities. Observance of silence. 7. 8. Control of physical actions. The Householder's Way for the Practice of Religion After having laid down a discipline for the monks, Bhagavan Mahavira laid down the rules of conduct for the householders also. He said that although the householders cannot be free from the responsibilities concerning the family, the society, the state etc., yet they should observe the following minor vows: 1. Renunciation of gross violence. Renunciation of gross untruth. 2. 3. Renunciation of gross stealing. 4. 5. 43. Continence. To limit desires-to put a limit to possession of wealth etc. The householder should practise the following teachings in order to strengthen the abovementioned minor vows: 1. Confining oneself to a certain geographical area, one should not commit violence, etc. beyond it. 2. One should not consume things beyond a certain limit. 3. One should renounce things which are not necessary. 4. One should practise equanimity. 5. One should put a limit even to routine engagements necessary for life. 6. One should remain absorbed in the self by fasting. 7. One should part with a portion of daily necessities, and offer them to ascetics. Men benighted by false beliefs, attachments and indulgence were enlightened by Bhagawan Mahavira's call to practise right belief, unattachment and discipline. Thousands became ready to follow his path.

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44 Bhagavan Mahavira Stress on Inwardness A widespread prevalence of rites and rituals had made the people extrovert even in matters of ethical values. In order to bring about a revolutionary change, Bhagawan Mahavira asked the people to give importance to inwardness. It was a common belief among the people that one became a Sramana by simply shaving the head, a Brahamana by merely repeating the sound of Omkara, a muni by merely living in the forests and a tripasvi (hermit) by putting on clothes made of the barks of trees. Bhagawan Mahavira did not challenge the existence of the institutions of the Sramanas, Brahmanas, munis and tapasvis. He, however, did not accept their norms. He insisted on their recognition through their internal qualities. He inaintained that one could not become a Sramana simply by shaving his head, and that one did not become a Brahmana simply by repeating the sound of Omkara. Similarly, in his view, nobody became a muni simply by living in the forest nor could one become a tapasvi simply by putting on cloth made of the bark of trees. He insisted on the practice of equanimity, celebacy, knowledge and penance. A Sramana must practise samata equanimity, a Brahmana brahmacharya--celebacy, a muni must seek after knowledge (mona) and a tapasvi must observe austerities. Equality of Human Beings Bhagavan Mahavira rejected casteism as an arbitrary doctrine. He stressed the fact that one could be called a Brahmana, a Ksatriya, a Vaisya or Sudra oply on the basis of his conduct. The Varna organization had been made by men. It could not be accepted as made by God. The Soul itself is the Perfect Soul Man is the maker of his own fate. He is the author of his own happiness and misery. There does not exist any external agency as God which governs man's actions. The

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's Sermons 45 soul itself is the Perfect Soul by dissolving karmas. Bhagavan Mahavira aroused the Perfect Soul immanent in the Soul of all living beings. Purusartha (Spiritual Exertion) People afflicted with passivity and laziness were inspired with the ideal of spiritual exertion by Bhagavan Mabavira. He said to man, "O man, Exert yourself. If you do not use your inherent spiritual powers, you will remain devoid of spiritual wealth." His message was: "Exert yourself in spiritual discipline so long as you remain unaffected of by old age, disease and senility." Bhagawan Mahavira did not reject the effects of past actions (popularly known as fate) but he tried to free man from the shackles of fatalism, resulting from lack of exerting oneself. Bhagavan Mahavira stood for the doctrine of synthesis. He extolled neither absolute fate nor absolute exertion. He synthesised both. This new trend freed the Indian society from faith in miracles, passivity and stupour and inculcated in them the force of realism, manliness and awakening. He enlivened the soul of India. SECOND SERMON Eleven Theses Bhagavan Mahavira delivered his second sermon in the Mahasena gardens of the city Madhyama Pavapuri on the eleventh day of the bright half of the lunar month of Vaisakha. In this sermon, he propounded the reality of the human soul. A Brahmana named Somila had organised a great sacrifice on that day. Many learned men came to participate in the sacrifice. Indrabhuti Gautama was the chief among these learned Brahmanas. He was apprised of the presence of Bhagavan Mahavira there. The overweening Brahinana,

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-46 Bhagavan Maha vira came to the Mahasena Gardens to defeat the Bhagavan in a debate. Bhagavan Mahavira was omniscient. He knew the thoughts of Indrabhuti. Revealing what Indrabhuti was thinking, Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Indrabhuti, you consider yourself a great scholar of the Vedic Scriptures, still you are sceptical about the existence of the soul. Isn't it so ?" Indrabhuti was stunned to hear this reading of his mind by the Bhagavan. By unveiling the doubt hidden in his mind, Bhagavan Mahavira at once won his veneration. Enquiring rather in a submissive voice, Indrabhuti said, "Does the soul exist? How do you, Sir, assert its existence ?" The Bhagavan said, "Yes, Gautama, the soul exists. I have perceived it. I assert its existence on the basis of my direct knowledge of the soul." Indrabhuti said, "Sir, I am a student of Logic. Don't you explain the existence of the soul in terms of Logic?" Bhagavan Mahavira replied, "The soul is non-perceptible to senses. The domain of Reason (or Logic) is limited only to those objects which are perceptible to senses. Where there is Direct Cognition, reason is rendered redundant". And, here, indeed, a logician felt himself helpless before a Direct Perceiver. He submitted himself to the Bhagavan along with his five hundred followers. He became a disciple of Bhagavan Mahavira. Agnibhuti, Another learned Brahmana and participant in the Great Sacrifice, was wonder-struck when he heard the news of the conversion of Indrabhuti. He became so inquisitive as to pay a visit to Bhagavan Mahavira with all his disciples. Bhagavan Mahavira took him unawares by remarking, "Agnibhuti, you are sceptical about the existence of karma". Agnibhuti was surprised to know how Bhagavan Mahavira could read his mind. He began to

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's. Sermons wonder whether Bhagavan Mahavira was a possessor of Direct Knowledge. He was attracted towards him as if by a magnetic force. Bhagavan Mahavira then explained to him the nature of karma. The soul attracts subtle atoms by the exertion of its own inherent force. This attraction results in the atoms sticking to the soul. This present action constitutes spiritual exertion and the actions of the past constitute what is known as karma. Agnibhuti's mind as if got immersed in the direct perception of Truth by Bhagavan Mahavira. He also became a disciple of Bhagavan Mahavira along with his own disciples. Indrabhuti and Agnibhuti were followed then, one by one, by other scholars also, and were all converted. 47 Vayubhuti was the third to come. Bhagavan Mahavira expounded to Vayubhuti the duality of the soul and the physical body. He said, "You are sceptical about the duality of soul and body. This is because you cannot know the subtle things by means of gross things. The human body is gross and material, whereas the soul is subtle and nonmaterial. If they were one and the same thing, there would be no need to treat them as separate. I find through extrasensory perception that the two are separate from each other. If the soul were not distinct from the body, I could not have seen it without the help of the senseorgans. "" Then Bhagavan Mahavira resolved the doubt of Vyakta by expounding that it was wrong to believe the soul to be mere transformation of the five elements which constitute the material universe. Expounding the principle of the transmigration, he said to Sudharma, "Sudharma, you hold that the soul continues to remain in the same kind of species even in the next births. That is why you believe that a man will be reborn as a man and an animal as an animal. But, that is not correct.

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48 Bhagavan Mahavira. One is reborn as a man or an animal in accordance with his karma. A man who practises fraud, deceit and speaks untruth is reborn as an animal. On the other hand, man who is by nature gentle, meek, compassionate and without jealousy, is reborn as a man. Bhagavan Mahavira explained the nature of Bondage and Liberation to another visitor called Mandita. The Bhagavan said, "Mandita, the soul becomes bound by karma. You are confused by the question whether this bondage has a beginning or not. Your contention is : If the bondage has a beginning, one has to accept anyone of the following three alternatives: 1. The existence of the soul is antecedent to that of karma, or 2. The existence of karma is antecedent to that of the soul, or 3. The soul and karma came into existence simultaneously. "All these three alternatives are, however, unacceptable. Now if the bondage of karma were beginningless, nobody would be able to get out of it and there would be no liberation. "My dear pundita! your confusion is because you are taking a onesided view of things. Looked at from the point of view of anekantavada (i.e., by considering all the aspects), the relationship between the soul and karma has a beginning as well as it is beginningless. There was no time in the past when the soul was not bound by karma. Past karmas leave their effects on the soul and present actions wrap it in new layers of karma-atoms. Looked at this relationship as a process, it has no beginning, but looked at it from the point of view of a particular karma, it has a beginning." The Bhagavan explained to Maurya and Akampita the nature of heaven and hell respectively.

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Kaivalya (Omniscience) and the Bhagavan's Sermons When Acalabhrata came to see him, Bhagavan Mahavira explained to him the nature of righteousness and sinful deeds. He said, "Righteous ani sinful deeds are not fictitious. They are not governed by systems created by man. They are the products of man's natural instincts. They seize his soul." Bhagavan Mahavira, explaining the nature of the next world to enlighten Metarya, said, "Metarya, a thing which has no beginning and no end cannot have a middle. If you did not exist in the previous life and if you will not exist in the next life, you cannot exist in the present life also. That which exists now must have existed in the past and must exist in the future also. Existence can be conceived only in the light of the present, past and future. It is eternal. Whatever number of fundamental elements existed in the world in the past, exist today and will continue to exist in the future also. Not a single particle can ever be increased or decreased. How, then, can you also go out of existence? The process or continuity of existence automatically leads to the next world." 49 Addressing himself to Prabhasa, Bhagavan Mahavira explained the nature of nirvana or the State of Liberation. He said, "Prabhasa, liberation of the soul does not mean the end of existence. When the light of the candle goes off, the flame does not cease to exist. It only changes its state. Liberation means a change in the state of the soul. The soul which had been changing its states and undergoing recurrent transmigration under the impact of the body and karma enters into a changeless state in liberation free from the body and karma. It becomes itself. Liberation means the attainment of its own nature and freedom from the not-self by the soul. It transmigrates no more." After having converted the eleven scholars of Brahmanical school, Bhagavan Mahavira propounded the nature of Reality including the substances like the soul etc. on the

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60 Bhagavan Mahavira basis of Relativism or Non-absolutism. The contention prevailing among the different philosophers about the nature of Reality was, in fact, due to a one-sided view of things. Consequently, the polemics came into existence. Pundits like Indrabhuti had been caught in the maze of polemics. Bhagavan Mahavira furnished them with altogether a new approach-an approach based on anekanta (non-absolutism) which, in fact, comprised of outlook of synthesis. All of them accepted it and succeeded in perceiving the Reality in its true perspective.

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FOUNDATION OF RELIGIOUS ORDER Dharma in the form of the spiritual values is eternal, it is self-existent; it cannot be created. This is an objective view-point. There is another point of view to describe \dharma, viz. the empirical point of view. From this viewpoint, dharma, i.e., religion and the religious tradition need establishment and fostering for keeping them alive. This is achieved through the foundation of tirtha, i.e., religious organization or laying down the doctrines. Bhagavan Mahavira became the founder of religious tirtha-tirthankara-by establishing a religious order through propounding the doctrines of dharma. The eleven learned Brahmins including Indrabhuti together with their own disciples were the first to become initiated as the members (monks) of this newly established religious order. Initiation of Women Bhagavan Mahavira propounded the Doctrine of Soul (atman), according to which 'soul is the principal or the most fundamental point of consideration while evaluating any living being. Qualification of being a human being' was secondary in his view. Secondly, he was also a 'humanitarian' in the sense that he gave importance only to the quality of being a human being'; he gave the least importance to other considerations such as caste and sex. Candanabala expressed her wish to be initiated as a nun. There were a few other women with her. They too wanted to be initiated. Bhagavan Mabavira initiated all of them as nuns. Twofold Dharma Bhagavan Mahavira propounded two categories of dharma :

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52 Bhagavan Mahavira 1. anagara dharma-the religion of the monks and nuns. 2. sagara dharma-the religion of the householders. As a matter of fact religion is indivisible. The twofold religion taught by Bhagavan Mahavira referred to two categories of men and women according to their propensities. One who has the spiritual strength to renounce his household life would accept the religion of the ascetic, comprising the five major vows. One who proposes to follow the path of spiritual discipline within the limitations of the household life would follow the religion of the householder comprising the anuvrata or the minor vows. Men like Indrabhuti Gautama and women like Candanabala accepted the religion of the ascetic, and many others accepted the religion of the householder. We know the names of the first monk and the first nun to be initiated, but not the names of the first sravaka (layman) and the first sravika (laywoman) who accepted the religion of householder. Bhagavan Mahavira had lived a solitary life during the period of his sadhana. He then had no disciples, no followers. Now he was not alone. He had disciples as well as followers. The tirtha (religious order) had been established. According to the tradition, Bhagavan Mahavira founded a fourfold tirtha comprising of the monks, the nuns, sravakas and sravikas. One may ask as to why Bhagavan Mahavira, even after attaining the omniscience, desired to found a tirtha-religious order. The word tirtha also means pravacana i.e., the fundamental doctrine (of dharma). Bhagavan Mahavira is known as a tirthankara, (i.e., propounder of tirtha), because he enunciated the fundamental doctrine of dharma. The teachings propounded by one who has accomplished self-realization never fail. The teachings of Bhagavan Mahavira had the same effect. They got materialized into an organization-a religious order, or tirtha. It kept these teachings intact and is even now preserving them. The teachings of Bhagavan Mahavira are expression of

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Foundation of Religious Order Truth revealed by self-realization. They are rich in spiritual experience and express explicitly the great doctrine of anekanta or multifacetedness of Truth. The world pines for light whenever it finds itself engulfed in the colossal darkness generated by the ever-existing problems of violence, fanaticism, conflict of opinions, dissensions, wars, imbalance, disquiet, lust and craving. The teachings of Bhagavan Mahavira can serve as a beacon-light to the world. In the context of these ever-existing problems, the teachings of Bhagavan Mahavira are like the eternal, ever new and perennial source of light and guidance. The Gospel of Anekanta Indrabhuti Gautama was an erudite and versatile scholar having encyclopaedic knowledge. But his knowledge resulted in turning him extremely self-conceited. It is a common saying that learning purges man of egotism and makes him humble. But it is a cominon experience that it creates a superiority complex and reduces humility in man. Which is true--the common saying or the common experience? The doctrine of anekanta would hold that both of them are true : In the context of the spiritual learning, the foriner is found true, while in the context of the mundane knowledge, the latter holds good. No sooner did Indrabhuti enter the domain of the spiritual learning than his egotism evaporated, and he was filled with a sense of modesty. A now thirst for knowledge was awakened in him. He approached Bhagavan Mahavira and asked him enquiringly, "Bhagavan, what is Reality ?" Bhagavan Mahavira replied, "Becoming." Gautama repeated his question, "What is Reality ?" Bhagavan Maha. vira replied, "Non-becoming." Gautama repeated his question again, "What is Reality ?" Bhagavan Mahavira replied, "Being." Bhagavan Mabavira revealed to Gautama the basic for

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54 Bhagavan Mahavira mula of the theory of anekanta in the form of this triadbecoming, i.e., coming into existence, non-becoming, i.e., ceasing to exist, and being, i.e., subsisting. Thus he imparted to him the essence of his philosophy. The eternalists held that reality is eternal, while the noneternalists believed it to be transitory. Bhagavan Mahavira did not agree with either. According to him, there is nothing either absolutely eternal or absolutely transitory. He professed that the reality is a synthesis of eternity and transitoriness. Reality is transitory because it is possessed of becoming and non-becoming. But it is eternal because by its very nature, it is subsistent. The reality is a synthesis of becoming, nonbecoming and being. Whatever is real must be possessed of becoming, non-becoming and being. 'Being' bereft of 'becoming', and 'non-becoming' as well as 'becoming' and 'nonbecoming' bereft of 'being' are absurdities. In this discourse, Bhagavan Mahavira enlightened Gautama to comprehend the reality in the right perspective. This enlightenment enabled Gautama to perceive the reality. Gautama imbibed the doctrine of anekanta on the basis of which he compiled Bhagavan Mahavira's teachings in the twelve angas (canons). The following are the twelve angas and their subjects: 1. Acaranga 2. Sutrakrtanga 3. Sthananga 4. Samavayanga 5. Bhagavati 6. Jnatadharmakatha Monasticism and spiritual discip line. Monasticism and spiritual discip line. It expounds the above subjects in numerical sets of one to ten. It discusses in a numerical system the above subjects. Ontology and Philosophy. Parables.

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Foundation of Religious Order 7. Upasakadasa 8. Antakrddasa The acara or ethical conduct of the lay followers. Narrations about people who have attained emancipation. 9. Anuttaropapatikadasa Narrations about people born in the Anuttara Vimana, (the highest class of gods). It discusses the five types of asravas (influx of karma) and samvara (cessation of asravas).1 It deals with the effects of karma (action). Nayavidya (Science of Perspectives). 10. Prasnavyakarana 11. Vipaka 12. Drstivada 55 Like Gautama many other scholars attended Bhagavan Mahavira's discourse. They also expressed their desire to know the nature of Reality. Bhagavan Mahavira enlightened them with the philosophy of anekanta and sharpened their spiritual propensities. Just as they excelled in the Vedic and secular sciences, so also they attained perfection in the knowledge propounded by the Arhats. The Organization of the Monastic Order Bhagavan Mahavira was the apostle of ahimsa (nonviolence) and equality. Freedom is the concomitant result of ahimsa. Bhagavan Mahavira propounded the path of emancipation. This path comprises of spiritual discipline and selfcontrol, but it is free from all kinds of regimentation. Bhagavan Mahavira eschewed compulsion in the organization of the monastic order. It was governed by self-discipline. It was divided into nine ganas or sub-divisions. Eleven ganadharas including Indrabhuti directed these subdivisions. Seven sub-divisions had a single head each and the remaining two were governed by two ganadharas each. 1. The old version of Prasnavyakarana dealt with the various kinds of sciences of angustha, prasna etc.

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56 Bhagavan Mahavira Akampita and Acalabhrata were the heads of the eighth, and Metarya and Prabhasa of the ninth. The great nun, Candanabala, headed the nun's order. Inspired by the teachings of Bhagavan Mahavira women belonging to all the castes, families and classes became initiated as the members of the Order. Several queens of Srenika, the Emperor of Magadha, were initiated. Queens of other kings and wives of the feudal lords and merchant-princes also joined the Order of nuns. The great nun Candanabala, as the able leader of the nuns, efficiently guided them. The Sangha (Order) of Bhagavan Mahavira was devoted to all the three ways of practising religion-faith, knowledge and spiritual conduct. The administration of the Order was in the charge of several authorities. The upadhyayas (perceptors) were responsible for the dissemination of knowledge. The pravartakas (administrators) looked after the management. The ganavacchedakas looked after the spreading of the mission, and the development of the Order. The sthaviras or the eldermen were responsible for the spiritual progress of the initiated monks as also for inculcating perseverance among them whenever they were smitten by impatience. The pravartinis looked after the nuns' affairs. Thus monks and nuns holding different posts fulfilled their responsibilities. The administration of the monastic order was run on the republican system Bhagavan Mahavira effected a synthesis between the perspectives of pragmatic truth and objective truth. Some of the religious organizations devoted themselves exclusively to objective truth. They lost sight of pragmatic truth which forms the basis of religious organization. The result was that their organizations became slack and then disintegrated. Those of the religious organizations which devoted themselves exclusively to pragmatic truth lost sight of objective truth and rendered their organization devoid of a spiritual basis. Bhagavan Mahavira was an exponent of both the

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Foundation of Religious Order 57 aspects of truth-the objective as well as the pragmatic. Therefore the spiritual basis of his Order remained intact as also his Order remained well-established and superbly organized. This fact has been brought to light by the author of the Niryukti thus : "If one wants to practise the religion of the Jina, he should keep in mind both kinds of truth, the objective and the pragmatic. If you discard the former, you will be estranged from the truth and, if you discard the latter, you will be deprived of a well-organized religious Order." It is on the basis of this principle that the Jaina religious Order embodies even today both--the truth and a superb organization.

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VI TRANSVALUATION Bhagavan Mahavira lived the life of a householder for thirty years. He remained absorbed in sadhana for twelve and a half years. During the fortythird year of his age he attained the state of kevali. After attaining the omniscience he began to propound the eternal Dharma. He uplifted the common people to a higher moral and spiritual standard and satisfied their desire for knowledge. Once he left Vaisaji for Kausambi where Jayanti, the sister of King Satanika, asked him a few questions : "Lord ! what is better for the living beings-to sleep or to keep waking ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "Both sleeping and waking are good." Jayanti : "How ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "It is better for irreligious people to sleep, because in that state they will not inflict pain on anybody. But it is better for religious people to keep waking, because in the waking state they practise religion and do not injure anybody." Jayanti : "What is better for the living beings--to be weak or strong ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "Both-being weak and strong are good." Jayanti : "How ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "Irreligious people earn their living by immoral means. It is better if such people are weak.

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Transvaluation 59 On the other hand, religious people sustain themselves by moral means. It is better if such people are strong." Bhagavan Mahavira viewed the truth in the light of anekantavada, and propounded it in terms of Relativism, which could be easily grasped by a person desiring to know On another occasion Bhagavan Mahavira was staying in the sanctuary known as Chatrapalasaka on the outskirts of the township of Ketanjala. Sravasti was situated just near this town. A wandering recluse named Skandaka lived in Sra. vasti. A Jaina ascetic named Pingala came to Skandaka and asked him the following questions : "Is the universe finite or infinite ?" "Is the soul finite or infinite ?" "Is the emancipation finite or infinite ?" "Is the emancipated soul finite or infinite ?" Skandaka failed to answer these questions satisfactorily. He was himself confused. He came to know of the stay of Bhagavan Mahavira in the Chatrapalasaka sanctuary and went to see him there. Bhagavan Mahavira, by his intuitive power, revealed the questions confusing Skandaka in such a way that the latter was wonder-struck. The following were the replies by the Bhagavan : "Skandaka, the universe is finite as well as infinite. It is finite from the points of view of substance and space, and infinite from the points of view of time and the modifications of substance. In the same way the soul, the emancipation and the emancipated souls are finite from the points of view of substance and space, and infinite from the points of view of time and the modifications of substance." Skandaka was thus initiated in the philosophy of anekanta. He could now expound the Truth to others.

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Bhagavan Mahavira Bhagavan Mahavira revealed to thousands of people the philosophy of anekanta and endowed them with the right vision. Egalitarianism Fourteen thousand monks and thirtysix thousand nuns were initiated in the Order founded by Bhagavan Mahavira. Lakhs of persons adopted the minor vows and became sravakas (lay followers). The number of his followers, admirers and supporters was even larger than that and included many well-known personalities of that age. Bhagavan Mahavira considered casteism as irrational and inegalitarian. Hence men and women belonging to all castes and communi. ties were initiated by him. He had eleven apostles. All of them were Brahmanas. The original followers of those apostles were also Brahmanas. Four thousand and four hundred monks initiated by Bhagavan Mahavira were Brahmanas. This number includes only those who were initiated at the first instance. We do not know the exact number of the Brahmanas initiated later. A large number of Ksatriyas had also been initiated. Many Ksatriya rulers like Dasarnabhadra, the ruler of Dasar. napura (Vidisa), Udrayana, the ruler of Sindhu Sauvira, Siva, the ruler of Hastinapur etc. entered the Order of Bhagavan Mahavira. Mrgavati, the queen of Satanika, ruler of Kau Name 1. Indrabhuti 2. Agnibhuti 3. Vayubhuti 4. Vyakta 5. Sudharma 6. Mandita 7. Mauryaputra 8. Akampita 9. Achalabhrata 10. Metarya 11. Prabhasa 500 500 500 Gotra Gautama Gautama Gautama Bharadwaja Agnivaisyayana Vasistha Kasyapa Gautama Harita Kaundinya Kaundinya Village Disciples Gobaragaon Gobaragaon Gobaragaon Kollaga Sannivesa 500 500 Maurya Sannivesa 350 350 300 Mithila Kausala Kausambi Rajagsha 300 300 300

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Transvaluation 61 sambi and several queens of the Emperor Srenika of Magadha became puns and joined the Order. Dhanna, salibhadra, Anathi etc. belonging to the Vaisya community and Sudras like Arjunamali were also admitted to the monastic Order of Bhagavan Mahavira. The Order was open to all castes. When the admission to the Order was open to all castes, how could it not have been open to all classes also ? It admitted the kings as well as the labourers. Bhagavan Mahavira initiated them all in the principle of equality and infused them with the egalitarian spirit. Sometimes, however, the past impressions of casteism and class-consciousness raised their ugly heads in some monks and nuns, and they were disturbed by the conceit generated by them. In that eventuality Bhagavan Malavira won them over to equality. Once faced with such a situation he addressed the monks and nuns: "I have propounded the principle of equality. You have accepted its discipline. The pride of caste, family and status creates inegalitarian attitude. You have renounced false pride and have adopted affability. You have abandoned inequality and chosen the attitude of equality. Is it befitting for you to revive the old forsaken attitude ? Try to comprehend that man intoxicated with ego. tism treats others as if they were mere shadows? He insults others. One who adopts an insulting attitude towards others gets lost into the world of adversities.? "It is true that you have been born in the caste or family of Ugras or Licchavis. But now you have been initiated into an Order based on equality. You have adopted ahinsa and live on the alms offered by others. Then why do you feel puffed up ?3 The caste and family cannot provide you any 1. Sutrakstanga, 1/13/8 : apnam janam passati bimbabhuyam. 2. Ibid, 1/2/2/2 : jo paribhavai varam janam, samsare parivattai maham. 3. Ibid, 1/13/10 : je mahane khattiya jayae va, tahuggaputte taha lecchai va / je pavvaie paradattabhoi, gottena je thabbhai manabadd he//

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62 Bhagavan Mahavira protection. It is only learning and religious conduct that can do so.1 Hence do not take pride in your caste, family and grandeur. You have transcended the limitations of all clandenominations. You are seekers after emancipation which is free from clan-denominations. Only by renouncing the sense of clan-denominations, can you attain that state."2 "Earlier some of you might have been king, and others servants of kings, or the servant of servants. But once you have been initiated into the egalitarian discipline, the distinction between a king and a servant has disappeared. Hence you all should behave in an egalitarian spirit."3 This exhortation of Bhagavan Mahavira imbued with egalitarianism swayed the Order. On being instructed in the egalitarian discipline, monks and nuns hailing from different countries and brought up in different environments fostered brotherhood. The spirit of equality created by Bhagavan Mahavira in that age of inequality is still the greatest inspiration for the present age also. once. Bhagavan Mahavira realised the Truth and expounded some principles based on it for the good of the world. People gave him a patient hearing and followed the path shown by him. But no new ideology is acceptable to society all at It has to pass through phases of development and consolidation for a long time before it gains wide acceptance. Freedom, relativism, co-existence, co-operation, service, disarmament, renunciation of war, honest dealings, harmony in precept and practice, ahimsa (non-violence), aparigraha (nonacquisition), celibacy, and vegetarianism-these are some of 1. Ibid, 1/13/11: na tassa jai va kulam va tanam, nannattha vijjacaranam succinnam. 2. Ibid, 1/13/16: te savvagottavagaya mahesi, uccam agottam ca gatim vayamti. 3. Sutrakrtanga, 1/2/2/3: je yavi anayage siya, je vi ya pesagapesage siya / je monapayam uvatthie, no lajje samayam samacare//

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Transvaluation 63 the flashes of the light of the philosophy taught by Bhagavan Mahavira. In the context of spirituality, Bhagavan Mahavira said, "It is better for me if I govern myself through religious discipline and penance rather than be governed by others through force." The principles of Bhagavan Mahavira have a great relevance today. The concept of freedom was developed in the modern period as a practical ideal, Revolution took place against colonialism. In every country, there was a movement to achieve freedom. A major part of the world is free today. Even totalitarianism of today cannot exist without putting on the mask of democracy. Today, even inequality can survive only in the garb of equality. There has never before been such a powerful public opinion in favour of co-existence, human equality, disarmament and anti-militarism. Today no particular name is associated with the origin of these ideals. There have been many great men in the history of the world who have preached these very ideals or identical ideals. But investigation will reveal how vitally the experiences and philosophy of Bhagavao Mahavira have contributed to the development of these ideas and ideals. Inspired by Bhagavan Mahavira thousands of people attained knowledge and virtue. These people practised and preached the great principles taught by him. They served as the rays of the sun to remove ignorance and lethargy. One of them was Abhayakumara, the son of king Srenika, and the Chief Minister of Magadha. He did a lot of work in strengthening the movement for transvaluation advocated by Bhagavan Mahavira. A wood-cutter was initiated as a monk in the Order of Bhagavan Mahavira. Prior to his initiation, he used to live in Rajagpha, and sell wood there. Once while he was passing by the Secretariat after initiation, Abhayakumara saw him,

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64 Bhagavan Mabavira descended from his office in the Secretariat, and bowed to him. Abhayakumara's colleagues in the cabinet derided him for the reverence shown by him to the wood-cutter. They could not relish the Chief Minister of Magadha empire paying homage to a monk who had till recently been an insignificant wood-cutter. They asked the Chief Minister whether he knew that the monk was a wood-cutter till the other day. The Chief Minister replied, "How could I not be aware of it? I had attended his initiation." "Why did you then bow to him ?" was the next question. The Chief Minister retorted. "Bhagavan Mahavira has extolled renunciation of possessions as against possessive ness." The colleagues asked, "What was there with the woodcutter to give up ?'' Abhayakumara did not reply to this question. Next day he wrote a letter to his colleagues saying that if they were ready to lead an absolute celibate life and give up the use of fire, they would be awarded two crores of rupees from the State Exchequer. Next day his colleagues came to Abhayakumara and said "We have not been able to understand the conditions attached to the payment of two crores of rupees. One could better enjoy married life only if he possessed two crores of rupees, and you propose to give two crores of rupees for leading a celibate life. What would be the use of the money to us after we had taken to celibacy ? Similarly, one who had left the use of fire for cooking would either have to remain hungry or beg his food. And what would be the use of two crores of rupees to a person who begged his food ? Both the conditions attached to the payment of the amount appeared to be nonsensical." The Chief Minister asked, "Does not he who renounces these two things renounce possessiveness ? Is he not a sacri

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Transvaluation 65 ficer ?" All of them said unanimously, "Yes, indeed." The Chief Minister said, "Has not the wood-cutter renounced his wife ? Sexual enjoyment is available to every person. But the woodcutter has made it impossible for himself to indulge in it. Then how is he not a renouncer ? Also he has made a sacrifice in totally giving up the use of fire. Then how is he not a renouncer ? The Chief Minister of Magadha had not bowed to a wood-cutter but to one who is a renouncer." The colleagues had nothing more to argue about. The Social Value of Religion : Extension of the Code of Conduct for the Householder The age of Bhagavan Mahavira was chiefly an age of religion. There was a wide-spread adherence to religion. Ths ruler as well as the people had a deep faith in religion. But religion was practised mostly in the form of rites andi rituals, and that too merely for attaining the heaven. Such form of religious practice did no service to the society. Bhagavan Mahavira preached a religion based on spiritual and moral conduct. A prominent citizen named Anand came to Bhagavan Mahavira with a view to understand the essence of religion. Bhagavan Mahavira propounded to him the minor vows and the code of conduct based on them. In this code of conduct has come into prominence the social nexus of religion. Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Ananda, you want to adopt the vow of ahimsa, but you have a large family, thousands of cows and hundreds of servants. You come into contact with thousands of people. You cannot be cruel to them, if you. want to practise ahimsa. You shall not kill any innocent living being intentionally. This will be your vow of nonviolence. In practising it you will have to accept the code of conduct based on it. You know it very well how cruelly the servants and cattle are treated these days. They are caned

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Bhagavan Mahavira for the slightest fault on their part. It is a common practice for people to chain beasts and men and to mutilate them in fits of anger. Animals are forced to carry unbearable burdens. They are deprived of their nourishment. Servants are refused sustenance. These are cruel practices. You will not be able to practise ahimsa if you also behaved in the like manner. You shall not indulge in acts like (1) killing, (2) chaining men and animals, (3) mutilating men and animals, (4) overloading animals, and (5) depriving men and animals of sustenance. "Ananda ! it is true that you propose to take the vow of truth, but you have a huge agricultural estate, a big family and innumerable social contacts. If you behave in delinquent or remiss manner, you will not be able to practise truth. For practising truth, you shall not deny anybody his property deposited with you, not give a false testimony, and not tell lie in your dealings. "If you took the vow of truth, you will bave to observe the code of conduct based on it. There are people who thoughtlessly defame others, accuse others on mere suspicion, disclose confidentially imparted secrets deliberately, misguide others, and indulge in forgery. All such malpractices are opposed to the practice of truth. For the observance of the vow of truth, you will not indulge in them. You are interdicted to indulge in these five acts :-(1) thoughtless calumny, (2) character-assassination, (3) disclosure of secrets, (4) deliberate misguidance, and (5) forgery. "Ananda, it is true you propose to take the vow of nonstealing. But have you controlled your desires ?" Ananda said, "My lord! I have done so. Hence I am adopting this vow, otherwise I would not have proposed it." Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Ananda, you will have to adopt the code of conduct based on it. There are people who

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Transvaluation do not themselves commit the theft, but receive the stolen property, encourage others to commit theft, illegally transgress the boundaries of hostile countries and use false weights and measures, sell spurious articles after exhibiting genuine ones, and practise adulteration. These malpractices are caused by uncontrolled desires. You shall not indulge in them for the observance of the vow of non-stealing. You are interdicted to indulge in these five acts: 1. receiving stolen properties, (2) encouraging the thief, 3. transgressing the boundaries of hostile countries, 4. using false weights and measures, and 5. dishonest dealings. "Ananda, it is true you want to take the vow of celibacy, but you know there are people who have no control over lust, and consider sexual pleasures as the be-all and end-all of life. But I have realized the truth to be contrary to this. According to me, the summum bonum of life is the ever-throbbing innate bliss in the depths of consciousness. The sex instinct makes it obscure. Do you intend to remove this obstacle ?" 67 Ananda replied, "Yes, my lord !" Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Ananda, do you know how the curer of snake-bite cures the effects of poisoning? In the case of a snake-bite the poison would spread in the whole of the body. The physician would first collect it at one particular point, and then he would extract it from there. Now, on the basis of this analogy, try to understand the significance of the institution of marriage. Its aim is to centralize the allpervading sex-desires in one person. Thus, marriage means the limitation of sex relation. I have laid down a further discipline in this respect. Ananda, you have been married. Now, according to my discipline, you will be able to attain perfect celibacy by gradually withdrawing your sexual desire even from that point, (i.e., your wife). "Ananda, if you want to practise the vow of faithfuluess

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Bhagavan Mahavira to your own wife, you will have to pay attention to its code of conduct. One is not able to practise this vow if he is surrounded by an erotic atmosphere, leads a sensual mode of life, possesses a craving for rich food and is extremely libidinous. You will have to refrain from all these activities, conducive to excitement of the sex instinct, if you want to observe the above vow. "Ananda, you want to take the vow of non-possessiveness. But you will not be able to practise it until you impose a strict control on your desires. There are people who needlessly accumulate land, buildings, precious metals like gold and silver, servants, cattle, grains and other household articles. You shall refrain from doing so. You shall have to circumscribe your desires to your bare necessities." Adanda took all these vows from Bhagavan Mabavira and began to lead a religious life. This had a great effect not only on the life of Ananda, but it permeated the entire social gamut in which he moved. Bhagavan Mahavira moulded thousands of people like Ananda. People caught in the snare of ritualistic religion obtained a new direction in their religious life. Bhagavan Mahavira enhanced the importance of asceticism and also provided a larger scope for the practice of religion in householder's life. He said on one occasion, "The spiritual discipline of the householders may be higher than that of some ascetics (who are lax), but spiritual discipline of the ascetis devoted to sadhana is undoubtedly the highest." The light of religion lit by Bhagavan Mahavira continues to be a living force even today in the life of persons treading the path of self-discipline.

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VII THE RELEVANCE OF THE JAINA RELIGION TO MODERN PROBLEMS Ahinsa and Freedom from Passion Bhagavan Mahavira did not look at truth only from a single point of view. It does not mean that he did not look from one point of view, because it is necessary also to look from one particular point of view. But while doing so, it should be kept in mind that there are other points of view also. When Bhagavan Mahavira viewed the truth from the perspective of its result, he said, "The basic problem is that of violence." Looking at it from the point of view of its origin, he said, "The basic problem is that of the passions (kasayas)." Kasaya means a tainted consciousness and a tainted mind. Mind tainted with attachment is filled with the emotion of love whereas one tainted with aversion is filled with hatred. Love, in its turn, produces avarice. Avaricious mind becomes deceitful, lustful and possessive. Mind tainted with aversion takes pride in riches, caste, power, beauty etc. Egotistic mind becomes prone to anger and hatred. It feeds the fire of quarrel. Attachment is the mother of avarice and deceit, while aversion generates egotism and anger. Anger, egotism, deceit and avarice give birth to all kinds of problems. Bhagavan Mahavira realized this truth and practised the sadhana (practice) of freedom from passions through spiritual discipline. It is said that non-violence is the supreme dharma and that it is Bhagavan Mahavira's great contribution to humanity. This is a truth, but the truth behind this truth is that freedom from passions is the supreme dharma. This,

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Bhagavan Mahavira in fact, is a more basic contribution. Passions are the seed, violence is its fruit. 'Freedom from passions' is the seed, non-violence is its fruit. Looked at from the point of view of the fruit, ahimsa may be said to be the great contribution of Bhagavan Mahavira. Looked at from the point of view of the seed, 'freedom from passions' may be said to be his great contribution. Thus both the statements are expressions of relative truth. Bhagavan Mahavira did not take 'freedom from passions' and ahimsa to be totally distinct from each other. The range and depth of ahinsa are proportionate to those of freedom from passions. The former is concomitant of the latter. The seed remains hidden, but we can see the fruit. Freedom from passions remains hidden, but we can see non-violence manifested in our conduct. Bhagavan Mahavira looked at both freedom from passions and non-violence as parts of the same sequence, and therefore he propounded ahimsa in a wider perspective which is indeed his great contribution. He said that non-violence is conducive to the good of all living beings. All are benefited by it. It is most propitious to the homo sapiens which leads a social life. The more the man adopts violence to solve social problems, the more he deteriorates his own good. Non-violence and Non-possessiveness One cannot appreciate Bhagavan Mahavira's conception of non-violence until and unless he comprehends his conception of non-possessiveness. Violence and aquisitiveness go hand in hand. Gautama once asked Bhagavan Mahayira : "Lord ! can man attain enlightenment ?" Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Yes, he can." Gautama : "Lord, how can he do so ?"

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion 71 Bhagavan Mahavira : "By renouncing violence and possessiveness." Gautama : "Can man be spiritually disciplined ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "Yes, he can." Gautama : "Lord, how can be do so ?" Bhagavan Mahavira : "By renouncing violence and possessiveness." Possessiveness and violence, according to Bhagavan Mahavira, are inseparable. Today, when violence is used against power and wealtn, we think violence is on the increase. In the language of Bhagavan Mahavira, this violence is against violence. Thinkers of today have begun to endorse Bhagavan Mahavira's view that we can put an end to violence only by putting an end to the monopoly of power and wealth. According to Bhagavan Mahavira, violence can be eradicated only through a change of heart. Modern political thinkers take a different view of things. They believe that violence can be stopped only through force. But experience so far has shown that force has failed to stop violence and people have now begun to think that it cannot succeed unless supported by a favourable public opinion. The only graceful way to escape reactive violence is to willingly put a limit on possessiveness. The natural consequence of this discipline will be an equitable distribution of possessions. Non-violence and Liberty Bhagavan Mahavira did not ever acquiesce in the usurpation of the freedom of man. Usurpation of freedom amounts to violence. Violence in its turn creates problems and misery. Mabavira propounded the principle of selfdiscipline in order to free mankind from this misery. He said, "One should discipline oneself. Self-discipline is undoubtedly most difficult. One who has disciplined his own

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72 Bhagavan Mahavira self will certainly he happy here and hereafter. "It is better if one controls oneself through self-restraint and penance. It is not good for one to be governed by others under the threat of imprisonment and death." Mahavira never conceived non-violence as separat: from freedom and freedom from self-restraint and penance. Non-violence and Equality As soon as man begins to look at the world through the perspective of ahimsa, equality of all souls which is generally veiled is perceived. Gautama asked Bhagavan Mahavira, "Lord! Are the souls of an elephant and a tiny insect equal?" Bhagavan Mahavira replied, "Yes, Gautama! The souls of an elephant and a tiny insect are equal. The body of an elephant is huge and that of an insect tiny The difference in the size of their bodies does not affect the equality of souls. One who confuses the innate equalities of the souls with their external differences such as bodies, sense-organs, colour and form, caste etc. cannot be a votary of non-violence. A non-violent man is he who finds all souls to be equal in spite of external differences. One who does not conceive the innate equality of all the souls presumes oneself to be superior to others and others as inferior to oneself or vice versa. He either hates others or thinks himself to be hated by others. He either intimidates others or feels himself being intimidated by others. These complexities of inferiority and superiority create inequality. Where there is inequality, people resort to violence. The principle of equality does not disturb social behaviour. On the contrary, it makes social life smooth and correct. In dayto-day life the more the behaviour is permeated with equality, the more the love is engendered. Love, in its turn, makes social organization run smoothly and reduces violence. We

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Relevance of Jaina Religion 73 lose sight of the equality of all souls under the pressure of passing situations and the confusion created by externalities. Lack of self-control creates an inegalitarian mentality. Bhagavan Mahavira said, "O man, you have been passing through the cycle of births from eternity in the course of which you have had relations of mother, father, son or brother etc. with each living being Then, whom will you treat as a friend or foe, higher or lower, beloved or despicable ? You have not been born only now, hence do not adopt a shortsighted view of things from a timeless perspective. Your soul is eternal and therefore you should try to experience the relationship between all souls. Try to control your mind by practising concentration. By doing so, you will attain equality at all levels--of principle, nature and mind. Once you attain equality, you will master ahinsa. Where there is equality, there is non-violence. Both are proportionate to each other. Equality means equanimity which excludes love and hatred, attachment and aversion, inclination and disioclination. The behaviour of an individual, whose conscience is entrenched in equality or equanimity does not smack of preferential treatment. So also the set-up of a society based on egalitarianism is free from all sorts of discriminations. Bhagavan Mahavira said, "Nobody likes suffering. Therefore don't inflict suffering to anybody. This is nonviolence, this is equality. It is enough for you to understand this. To understand non-violence in order to understand -equality and vice versa is the summum bonum of all knowledge." Non-violence and Co-existence Our thoughts may be divided into two categories : identical, i.e., thoughts which we share with others and different, i.e. thoughts which we do not share with others. We like to live with those who have identical thoughts and ideas

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Bhagavan Mahavira but not with those who think differently. We want to elimiuate the latter. This is all-pervading conflict; this is war. Looking into the crux of this problem Bhagavan Mahavira said, "How superficial man's vision is ! He does not enter into even a little depth of things. How great is unity below the apparent diversity ! Unity and diversity are the go-togethers. There is no real contradiction between the two. Why should then man give importance to differences and try to eliminate opposition and the opponents ?" This opposition is caused by our passions. "Passions breed violence and violence leads to conflict. Copflicts dis. appear as soon as passions have been pacified and the consciousness and mind has been purified. Unity as well as differences are the nature of things and both of them will remain. Once we develop the attitude of non-violence, differences disappear and co-existence becomes feasible. Non-violence is higher development of consciousness. Only those whose consciousness is not sufficiently developed treat others as different and hence opponents, and try to eliminate them. Those whose consciousness is developed do not pay attention only to differences. The moment they see differences, the underlying unity also is clearly perceived by them. This perspective of unity-cum-diversity is the real basis of co-existence. If there is total unity, there does not arise the question of co-existence. Co-existence comes into being only when there is another someone different. If there is only diversity, there cannot be any co-existence. The common basis required for co-existence is not available there. When there is some unity, and a common basis is available, and also when there is some diversity and peculiar specialities are available, then and then only the prigciple of co-existence takes a practical shape. It is only theo that non-violence spreads its radiance. Non-Violence and Synthesis Mental violence is even worse than physical violonor.

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion and can be a cause of the latter. To ideas man is as much attached as to wealth, sometimes even more. Bhagavan Mahavira's doctrine of anekantavada was aimed at removing dogmatism. He said, "Look at innumerable characteristics and variations of things in infinite perspectives. Do not perceive them in a single perspective. A narrow-minded man is always dogmatic about his beliefs and decries those of others." There was a large number of religious sects in the time of Bhagavan Mahavira. They professed different doctrines and defeated the very purpose of religion by engaging themselves in polemics. The eternalists (nityavadis) attacked the phenomenalists (anityavadis) and vice versa. On the basis of his spiritual vision, Bhagavan Mahavira said, "There is nothing either absolutely eternal or absolutely phenomenal. Whatever exists is eternal as well as ephemeral. A thing which you call eternal at one moment is at the same moment ephemeral also. There is no word in man's language to express this simultaneity of opposites. Therefore whenever you give a statement, add the term syat (from a certain point of view) to it. 'Syad asti' means that from a certain point of view, the thing exists. 'Syan nasti' means that from a certain point of view it does not exist. The moments of existence and non-existence are not different. A thing which exists at one moment also does not exist at the same moment. The term syat implies that when we emphasise the existence of a thing, we treat its non-existence as secondary characteristic associated with it and vice versa. Existence and non-existence cannot be separated from each other. But we canno express both with a single word and from this point of view a thing is 'inexplicable' (syad avaktavya)." 75 This theory of syadvada puts an end to ideological con+ flict. It synthesises all the schools of thought. The theory itself, however, does not create a synthesis in the objects. Synthesis exists in the very nature of objects. Syadvada expresses this natural state of synthesis. This way of synthesi

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Bhagavan Mahavira 76 zing liberates us from violence born of a one-sided view of things, cock-sureness and dogmatism. Doctrine of Naya There may be a hundred and one forms of synthesis. Bhagavan Mahavira classified them into seven categories: 1. Naigama 2. Samgraha 3. Vyavahara 4. Rjusutra 5. Sabda 6. Samabhirudha 7. Evambhuta the view which accepts both identity and difference. the view which posits only identity. the view which posits only difference. the view which posits only the present moment the view which assigns different meanings to a word according to different categories of time, etc. the view which assigns different meanings to the synonymous words according to their etymology. the view which assigns a meaning to a word only according to the present action. Some seers maintained the identity of a thing by looking at it from the synthetical point of view. Others maintained its plurality by looking at it from the analytical point of view. Bhagavan Mahavira accepted the truth of both the views. Somila asked Bhagavan Mahavira whether he was one or many. Bhagavan Mahavira replied that he was one as well as many and added that from the point of view of substance (synthetic entity), he was one. From the point of view of transformations of substance (analytic characteristics), he was many also. Bhagavan Mahavira, said "Both unity and diversity are real. But they are real only in relation to each other, not abso

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion 77 lutely. Once this underlying relativity is abandoned, we enter into falsity." This relativism is the Nayavada theory of Bhagavan Mahavira. The term syat in the theory of syadvuda relates one aspect of truth to its remaining aspects. The relativism of Nayavada also does so. A non-relativistic one-sided view cannot be true. There can be 10 ahimsa without truth and there can be no truth without ahimsa. They are inseparable. Bhagavan Mahavira admitted the reality of substance, existing in all the three times--past, present and future, as well as of the present mode. He admitted the reality of both the word as well as its meaning. He never told anybody that the latter was not true or that his statement was false. He simply insisted the people on understanding the relativistic point of view, the truth of the point of view of others and that if they did not do so, they might be proved to be untrue and what they understood to be truth might also become falsehood. The principle of synthesis of the truths of different points of view as propounded by the statement of Bhagavan Mahavira is an expression of his ahimsa, his genius and his equanimity, This principle can make the present and the future of entire mankind bright. Metaphysics Bhagavan Mahavira was not a philosophical thinker, but he had attained the state of kaivalya and had realized the Truth. Philosophical thinker does not command a spiritual vision. He formulates his views only with the help of sruta (verbal knowledge) and thinking. Bhagavan Mahavira had himself realized the Truth and then he said, "One who does not see, does not look within-does not see oneself, cannot realize the self. His knowledge depends on others. It is attained either on the basis of srutajnana (verbal knowledge), or through matijnana (determinate knowledge derived through the serise-organs and the mind). It is not in

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78 Bhagavan Mabavira the form of innate knowledge. A man who has no direct knowledge of the self cannot practise religious conduct. His behaviour cannot be free from attachment, aversion, and delusion. There can be no emancipation (moksa) except through religious conduct. Moksa can be achieved only after attachments and aversions have been eradicated. One who has not achieved emancipation cannot attain nirvana (liberation). The first step in the journey to nirvana is spiritual vision or self-knowledge. Bhagavan Mahavira said, "See the truth. Do not depend only on wbat I say, but develop your own spiritual vision." Animate and Inanimate There are two fundamental substances in the universe, animate and inanimate. The universe is neither absolutely of the nature of soul, nor absolutely of the nature of matter. It is both--spiritual and material. Both the kinds of substances (animate and inanimate) of which the universe is composed have their independent existence. Neither is the inanimate born of the animate, nor the vice versa. There is an infinite number of animate substances or living beings. Existence of every living being is independent of every other living being. There are five kinds of inanimate substances : 1. dharmastikaya the medium of motion. 2. adharmastikaya the medium of rest. 3. akasastikaya the container substance or space. 4. kala the cause of change or time. 5. pudgala the substance having touch, taste, smell and colour. Asrava (Cause of the Influx of karma) and Bandha (Bondage of karma) Once Indrabhuti Gautama asked Bhagavan Mahavira :

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion "Lord, is there any mutual relationship between the animate and the inanimate ?" Bhagavan Mahavira replied, "No substance is either entirely similar or entirely dissimilar to other substances. The animate and the inanimate substances possess many a common characteristic. That is why they interact. The animate consume the inanimate, i.e. the inanimate is consumed by the animate. The exertion of the animate (soul) is the agent of this interaction. It (soul) exerts itself to attract the inanimate (matter) and associates it with itself. This attempt to attract the pudgala is called asrava (the cause of the influx of karma) and its bondage with soul is called bandha. 79 The Cycle of Suffering The karmas in the form of bandha express their function in the forms of punya (material beneficence), and papa (adversities). The karmas bound by good activities express themselves in the form of punya and those bound by bad activities express themselves in the form of papa. Man driven by attachment to the rise of punya and aversion to the rise of papa exerts itself again to asrava. Thus the cycle from bandha to asrava and from another asrava to another bandha and so on goes on. This process is called samsara (the mundane existence). A soul caught in this process goes on experiencing physical and mental sufferings such as birth, death, old age, disease etc. The Means of Liberation from the Cycle of Sufferings The physical body, the sense-organs and the perception of the objects of the sense-organs are involved in the natural course of the living being. We become either attached or averse to objects. This gives momentum to the cycle of sufferings. One who has achieved the right vision strikes at the root of the cycle of sufferings which means that he knows the objects, but remains completely detached from them

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80 Bhagavan Mahavira dces not become attached or averse to them. This can be achieved in two dimensions. The first is not to get involved into the bandha of fresh karmas. This is called samvara. The second is to shed off the past karmas. This is called nirjara. This process of samvara and nirjara does not allow fresh bandha to take place and liquidates the old bandha. This leads to moksa (emancipation). The soul becomes liberated in proportion to the reduction of bandha. A complete liquidation of bandha leads to complete emancipation. The Purpose of Metaphysics The metaphysics in the context of religion is not an intellectual exercise. Its purpose is not merely to know, but is moksa-to emancipate the soul. Bhagavan Mahavira laid down nine principles for the achievement of this purpose :(1) jiva, (2) ajiva, (3) punya, (4) papa, (5) asrava, (6) samvara, (7) nirjara, (8) bandha and (9) moksa. Among these the first two, i.e., jiva and ajiva, have been conceived from the point of view of existence, i.e., they are metaphysical realities and the remaining are the parts of the process of bandha and moksa. Asrava, bandha, punya and papa are the causes of the cycle of suffering. Samvara and nirjara are the causes of emancipation from this cycle. One who becomes completely emancipated from the cycle of suffering attains moksa. In other words, atma becomes paramatma (supreme soul). The Doctrine of Karma Bhagavan Mahavira propounded the doctrine of freedom of soul. The soul is not a part of paramatma-God or Supreme Soul. It does not dissolve into paramatma after it has become emancipated. It maintains its independent existence in the state of bondage as well as liberation. In the 20th century, the intelligentsia are now considering Bhagavan Mahavira as a Saviour of mankind in the sense that he liberated the mankind from the mirage of dependence on others. He endowed man with the insight to tread the path of selfdependence and spiritual exertion. People who believed in:

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion 81 God as the creator and controller of man's fate sought his grace. Then, there were those who believed Nature to be the controlling force, and depended on it. Bhagavan Maha. vira did not deny the existence of paramatma, but he did not accept him to be the creator and controller of man's. fate. He said, "Man himself is the maker of his own fate; nobody else is. Even karma is not such a controlling force, for man himself is the maker of karma. Man is bound to suffer the consequences of his karma, but not to the extent that he cannot change its course. One who enjoys an independent existence is also free to enjoy the freedom of action. The ultimate cause lies wholly within him. Forces other than himself do influence his actions, but they cannot completely emasculate him. Several forces like Time (kala), Nature, universal laws, and karma influence man's capacity to act. Karma is the most powerful among them, and is closely connected with man. But karma itself is created by man's own exertion. The effects of punya give pleasure and those of papa produce adversity. Man must bear the consequences of his karma in this or the next life. He cannot get rid of the effects of his karma until they have been separated from the soul. Bhagavan Mahavira accepted the power of karma, but he did not accept it as the supreme power. Had he done so, he would not have been in the position to deny the existence of God as the Creator or Controller. It would have simply meant substituting karma in place of God without making any difference. Then there would have been a controlling force over soul, whether it be God or karma. Bhagavan. Mahavira accepted the concept of a supreme force in a limited sense only. The Relative Potentiality of Spiritual Exertion and Karma As karma imposes a limit on the free will of man and the purusartha (spiritual exertion) of man limits karma, karma

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82 Bhagavan Mahavira and man's purusartha can be explained only from a relativistic point of view. Purusartha produces karma, i.e., karma is a product of purusartha. In case karma had an unlimited power, it would render purusartha ineffective. In such a state, the effect of past karma would begin to manifest itself and force man to produce another karma. The result would be again the rise of karma and again the bandha. This vicious circle would have deprived man of his freedom. He would have become totally enslaved by karma. We should not forget that Bhagavan Mahavira was the instructor of the gospel of Anekanta. He did not perceive the truth only from a single perspective. He realized the truth that karma influences man. But at the same time he also emphasized the other aspect of this very truth that the powerful purusartha of man, in its turn, influences karma. When we consider the efficacy of karma and purusartha from the relativistic stand-point, we bave to conclude that karma neither allows perfect freedom to man nor does it usurp his freedom completely. Once the karma has been completely obliterated, man's power to know, to be detached and to act freely begins to operate fully. If karma remains only partially dissolved or subdued, then man's power expresses itself oply occasionally and not continuously. This process of manifestation and suppression of man's power goes on. During this process, sometimes karma and sometimes man's power has the upper hand. In the light of this changeability of karma, Bhagavan Mahavira laid down some special theses in accordance with karma. These theses provide a sort of correction to the prevalent one-sided beliefs regarding karma. It is a general notion that man is under the domination of karma. In other words, karma is identified with man's destiny. According to this belief, man reaps the fruits of his own karmas and his purusartha is of no avail. These beliefs being one-sided had been proved false. Bhagavan Mahavira expounded these beliefs in the light of anekantavada. He said that the notion that man is under the domination of karma can be true only

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Relevance of the Jaina Religion when we do not forget the fact that the karma is also determined by purusartha. When we do not truly evaluate the efficacy of purusartha, we extol fate or the power of destiny. In fact, purusartha is capable of changing fate-the effects of karma. This doctrine of karma sets man free from the mentality of pessimism, passivity and dependence on others. If the present purusartha of man were righteous, the effects of past malevolent karma can be weakened or transformed into those of benevolent karma, and thereby one can tread the lightened path instead of groping in darkness. On the other hand, inactivity born of indolence or mentality of dependence on others deprives man of the opportunity of enjoying future benefits and its achievements. It is derogatory on the part of man to be despondent. Problems melt away if man takes recourse to right purusartha. He is not totally under the domination of karma. Karma is only an instrumental cause of man's helplessness. An instrumental cause, no doubt, shows its effect, but after all it is only an instrumental cause, and not an efficient cause. An awakened man can obliterate the dominance of karma which only exists as an instrumental cause. 83 People who do not understand the principle of changeability of karma begin to entertain doubts about the very doctrine of karma, when the social set-up changes. Karma is an internal condition of man. External conditions and instrumental causes may bring about a right change in the operation of karma, but they cannot obliterate its existence altogether. It is man's internal capacity of experiencing pleasure or pain which gives a chance to the instrumental causes to play their role and produce the feelings of pleasure or pain. Individual problems cannot be solved by simply changing external conditions and instrumental causes of pleasure and pain. They can be solved only on the basis of the individual's karma and the conditions which effect karma.

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VIII NIRVANA (LIBERATION) Once Bhagavan Mahavira reached Pava after visiting various villages. King Hastipala and his subjects assembled to pay their obeisance to him. Bhagavan Mahavira expounded to them the concept of nirvana. He was the most effective exponent of the concept of nirvana. After his discourse, he called Gautama and said, "Gautama, a Brahmana named Somasarma lives at a little distance from here. He is a seeker after truth. He will certainly be enlightened if you instruct him. Go there and enlighten him." In obedie nce to the instructions of Bhagavan Mahavira, Gautama proceeded to enlighten Somasarma. Bhagavan Mahavira had been fasting for the last two days. He had not taken even water. He had been delivering long discourses explaining the effects of karma in detail. After finishing his final discourse, he entered into silence, And he adopted the lotus posture of yoga. His body was completely motionless and relaxed. He became emancipated from his gross as well as subtle bodies and became free from the shackles of birth and death. The pure and serene light of his soul attained the perfect state. He attained the state of nirvana in the early dawn of the fifteenth day of the dark half of the lunar month of Kartika, when hardly an hour and a half were left for the sun to rise. Sudharma and a number of other ascetics were by his side. Eighteen kings of the Gana (Republics) of the Mallas and Licchavis were also present there. They lighted lamps in honour of the Light of the soul of Bhagavan Mahavira. The news of the nirvana of Bhagavan Mahayira spread

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Nirvana far and wide. Nandivardhana, the elder brother of Bhagavan Mahavira was overwhelmed with grief when he received this news. Although the news of the attainment of the nirvana is a matter of great ecstasy, those entangled in the snares of worldly attachment behave in their own way. 85 Gautama Svami had gone to enlighten Somasarma; so he was stunned when he heard the news of the nirvana of Bhagavan Mahavira. He had immense devotion for Bhagavan Mahavira. In Bhagavan Mahavira Gautama's consciousness experienced perfect protection; Bhagavan Mahavira found a dependable devotee in the latter. Gautama had much attachment to the mortal frame of Bhagavan Mahavira and was not prepared to bear separation from him. His attachment to Bhagavan Mahavira had not waned even in his physical presence with the result that he could not attain the state of kaivalya. His attachment knew no bounds on hearing the news of the nirvana of the master. Being overwhelmed he was grieved like an ordinary man. But this state lasted for a few moments only. Gautama was a great sage and was conversant with sruta (scriptural knowledge) and was possessed of an insight into the Truth. He had a privilege of being associated with Bhagavan Mahavira for a long period of thirty years. He exerted himself by engaging his thirst for knowledge in gaining philosophical knowledge. The Bhagavati Sutra bears a living testimony to these efforts of Gautama. Such a wise man could not be lost in sorrow. He regained himself. The image of Bhagavan Mahavira symbolizing non-attachment flashed before his eyes. His attachment melted away. He himself became free from all attachments, and attained the state of kaivalya. Now he was no more separate from Bhagavan Mabavira. Bhagavan Mahavira attained the nirvana at the age of seventy-two. He had lived the life of a householder for thirty years, that of sadhana for twelve and a half years and that of a Kevali for another thirty years. Highly enlightened

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Bhagavan Mahavira ascetics like Gautama and Sudharma were his disciples, and even though they were eighty years old, they behaved before Bhagavan Mahavira with great modesty and dedication. Bhagavan Mahavira had a large number of disciples at the time of his nirvana. Epilogue 85 Bhagavan Mahavira had been born a prince and was brought up in the midst of prosperity. His youth synchronized with the development of equality. He devoted himself to the practice of equanimity. He achieved his goal. He lived and worked in the midst of people and showed them the way to peace, equanimity and anekanta. His teachings are meant not only for individuals but for the entire society. They do not envisage only the world beyond, but are concerned with this world also. His system of spiritual discipline is not only capable of solving the internal problems of individuals, but social problems also. The principle of ahimsa he taught is not that of the coward but of the valiant. It is invariably associated with fearlessness and valour. The doctrine of detachment he taught is not a doctrine of passivity. It is an indomitable spiritual force for the pruning of the effects of karma and a great means for the development of mental powers. Even today his teachings are capable of showing the path to world peace and hence the entire mankind venerates him.

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PHILOSOPHY AND EXHORTATION 1. All unenlightened persons produce sufferings. Having become deluded, they produce and reproduce sufferings, in this endless world. (Uttaradhyayana, 6/1) 2. Just as a threaded (sasutra) needle is secure from being lost, in the same way a person given to self-study (sasutra) cannot be lost. (Uttaradhyayana, 29/59) 3. Only that science is a great and the best of all sciences, the study of which frees man from all kinds of miseries. (Isibhasiya, 7/1) 4. That with the help of which we can know the truth, control the restless mind, and purify the soul is called knowledge in the Jaina doctrine. (Mulacara, 5/70) 5. That which subdues passions, leads to beatitude and fosters friendliness is called koowledge in the Jaina doctrine. (Mulacara 5/71) 6. The unenlightened takes millions of lives to extirpate the effects of karma whereas a man possessing spiritual knowledge and discipline obliterates them in a single. moment. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 10) 7. The nights that have departed will never return. They have been wasted by those given to adharma (unrighteousness). (Uttaradhyayana, 14/25) 8. The nights that have departed will never return. They

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88 Bhagavan Mahavira are profitable for one who is given to dharma (righteousness). (Uttaradhyayana, 14/25) 9. Those who are ignorant of the supreme purpose of life will never be able to attain nirvana (liberation) in spite of their observance of the vratas (vows) and niymas (rules) of religious conduct and practice of Sila (celibacy) and topas (penance). (Samayasara, 153) 10. My soul characterised by knowledge and faith is alone eternal. All other phases of my existence to which I am attached are external occurrences that are transitory. (Niyamasara, 99) 11. Righteousness consists in complete self-absorption and in giving up all kinds of passions including attachment. It is the only means of transcending the mundane existence. The Jinas have said so. (Bhava-pahuda, 83) 12. Don't kill any living beings. Dont try to rule them. (Aciranga, 4/23) 13. The essence of all knowledge consists in not committing violence. The doctrine of ahimsa is nothing but the observance of equality i.e. the realization that just as I do not like misery, others also do not like it. (Knowing this, one should not kill anybody. (Satrakytanga, 1/1/4/10) 14. Just as you do not like misery, in the same way others also do not like it. Knowing this, you should do unto them what you want them to do unto you. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 780) 15. To kill any living being amounts to killing one self. Compassion to others is compassion to one's own self. Therefore one should avoid violence like poison and

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Philosophy and Exhortation thorn (that cause pain). (Bhagavati Aradhana, 797) 16. Don't be proud if you gain. Nor be sorry if you lose. (Acaranga, 2/4/114, 115) 17. One who cultivates an attitude of equality towards all living beings, mobile and stationary, can attain equanimity. Thus do the kevalis say. 89 (Anuyogadvara, 708, gatha 2) 18. Only the one who has transcended fear can experience. equanimity. (Sutrakrtanga, 1/2/2/17) 19. (One should reflect thus:) Let me treat all living beings with equanimity and none with enmity. Let me attain samadhi (tranquillity) by becoming free from expectations. (Mulacara, 2/42) 20. Let me renounce the bondage of attachment and hatred, pride and meekness, curiosity, fear, sorrow, indulgence and abhorrence (in order to accomplish equanimity). (Mulacara, 2/44) 21. Let me give up attachment through unattachment. My soul will be my only support (in this practice of unattachment). (Hence) let me give up everything else. (Mulacara, 2/44) 22. Just as I do not like misery, so do others. Knowing this, one neither kills, nor geis killed. A sramana is sc called because he behaves equanimously. (Anuyogadvara, 708, gatha 3 23. One who remains equanimous in the midst of pleasure: and pains is a sramana, being in the state of pure cons ciousness. (Pravacanasara, 1/14 24. A framana devoid of the knowledge of Agama doe

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Bhagavan Mahavira neither know himself, nor others. (Pravasanasara, 3/32) 25. Other beings perceive through their senses whereas the sramana perceives t' cough the Agama. (Pravacanasara, 3/34) 26. One devoted whole-heartedly to knowledge, faith and right conduct equally accomplishes in full the task of the sramana. (Pravacanasara, 42) 27. O Self! Practise Truth, and nothing but Truth. (Acaranga, 3/3/66) 28. Enlightened by the light of Truth, the wise transcends death. (Acaranga, 3/3/66) 29. Truth alone is the essence in the world. (Prasnavyakarana, 2/2) 30. The ascetic who never thinks of telling a lie out of attachment, aversion or delusion is indeed the practiser of the second vrata of truthfulness. (Niyamasara, 57) 31. A truthful man is treated as reliable as the mother, as venerable as the guru (preceptor) and as beloved as the one who commands knowledge. (Mulacara, 837) 32. Truthfulness indeed is tapa (penance). In truthfulness do reside self-restraint and all other virtues. Just as the fish can live only in the sea, so can all other virtues reside in Truthfulness alone. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 842) 33. One may have a tuft or matted hair on the head or a sbaven head, remain naked or wear a rag. But if he tells a lie, all this is futile and fruitless. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 843)

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Philosophy and Exhortation 97 34. One can bear all kinds of unbearable pain caused by spikes in expectation of wealth etc. But he alone who tolerates, without any motive of worldly gain, barshwords spoken to him is venerable. (Dasavaikalika, 9/3/6) 35. One should not speak unless asked to do so. He should not disturb others in conversation. He should not backbite and indulge in fraudulent untruth. (Dasavaikalika, 8/46) 36. One should not utter displeasing words that arouse ill feelings in others. One should not indulge in speech conducive to the evil. (Dasavaikalika, 8/47) 37. Discipline of speech consists in refraining from telling lies and in observing silence. (Mulacara, 332 38. The sadhaka (one who practises spiritual discipline) speaks words that are measured and beneficial to all livin beings. (Kartikeyanupreksa, 334 39. The bhiksu (ascetic) should not be angry with one who abuses him. Otherwise he would be like the ignoramous He should not therefore lose his temper. (Uttaradhyayana, 2/24 40. If somebody were to beat a disciplined and restraine ascetic, the latter should not think of avenging himself considering the soul to be imperishable. (Uttaradhyayana, 2/27 41. As gold does not cease to be gold even if it is heated i the fire; an enlightened man does not cease to be enligb tened on being tortured by the effects of karma. (Samayasara, 184 42. A thief feels neither pity nor shame, nor does he posset discipline and faith. There is no evil that he cannot d

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Bhagavan Mahavira for wealth. (Bhagavati Aradhand, 862) 43. On the aggravation of one's greed, a person fails to dis tinguish between what should be done and what should not be done. He is a daredevil who cannot commit any offence even at the cost of his own life. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 857) 44. By practising celibacy one can fulfill all other vows chastity, tapas (penance), vinaya (humility), samyama (self-restraint), forgiveness, self-protection and detachment. Prasnavyakarana, 9/3) 15. Knowing that pleasing sound, beauty, fragrance, plea sant taste and soothing touch are transitory transformations of matter, the celibate should not be enamoured of them. (Dasavalkalika, 8/58) 6. The soul is the Brahman. Brabmacarya is therefore nothing but spiritual conduct of the ascetic concerning the soul, who has snapped out of relationship with alien body. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 877) 7. An amorous person, failing to achieve his desired objects, becomes frantic and even ready to commit suicide bv any means. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 809) 3. The sun scorches only during the day, but cupid schor ches in the day as well as in the night. One can protect oneself from the sun, but cannot from cupid. (Bhagavati Aradhana) . The more you get, the more you want. The greed in creases with the gain. What could be accomplished by two masas (grams) of gold could not be done by ten millions (Uttaradhyayang, 8/17)

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Philosophy and Exhortation 93 50. Knowing that the earth with its crops of rice and barley, with its gold and cattle, and all this put together will not satisfy one single man, one should practise penance. (Uttaradhyayana, 9/49) 51. Just as fire is not quenched by the fuel and the ocean by thousands of rivers, similarly no living being is satisficd even with all the wealth of all the three worlds. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 1143) 52. Non-possessiveness controls the senses in the same way as a hook controls the elephant. As a ditch is useful for the protection of a town, so is non-attachment for the control of the senses. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 1168) 53 Greed even for a piece of straw, not to speak of precious things, produces sin. A greedless person, even if he wears a crown, cannot commit sin. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 1371) 54. One who, being swayed by wishful thinking, becomes a victim of passions at every step, and does not ward off the desires, cannot practise asceticism. (Dasavaikalika, 2/1) 55. External renunciation is meaningless if the soul remains fettered by internal shackles. (Bhava.pahuda, 13) 56. Living beings have desires. Desires consist in pleasure and pain. (Kartikeyanupreksa, 18/14) 57. One who is constantly careful in his deportment is like the lily in the pond, untarnished by mud. (Pravacanasara, 3/18) 58. Objects of the senses pollute knowledge if it is not protected by discipline. (Sila-pahuda, 2)

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.94 Bhagavan Mahavira 59. Discipline is the means of achieving liberation (Sila-pahuda, 20) 60. Even the noble becomes mean in the company of the wicked, as precious necklace on the neck of a dead body. (Bhagavati Aradhana, 245) 61. The ignoramous is always benighted. The enlightened is always wide awake. (Acaranga, 3/1) 62. The five senses of the awakened always remain inactive. The five senses of the unawakened always remain active. By means of the active five one acquires bondage while by means of the inactive five the bondage is severed. (Isibhasiyam, 29/2) 63. Just as every body keeps away from a burning fire, so do the evils remain away from an enlightened person. (Isibhasiyam, 35/23) 64. Keep yourself always awake. One who keeps awake in creases his wisdom. He who falls asleep is wretched. Blessed is he who keeps awake. (Brhatkalpa-bhasya, 3382) 65. He who lies idle like a python simply wastes the ambro sia of wisdom. With the loss of his wisdom, he is no better than a bull. (Brhaikalpa-bhasya, 3387) 66. The yogin who is indifferent to worldly affairs remains spiritually alret to his own duty, namely, his duty towards his soul. On the other hand, one who indulges in worldly affairs is not dutiful to his soul, (Moksa-pahuda, 31) 67. Birth is attended by death, youth by decay and fortune by misfortune. Thus everything in this world is momentary. (Kartikeyanupreksa, 5)

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Philosophy and Exhortation 95 68. The courageous as well as the cowardly must die. When death is inevitable for both, why should not one welcome death smilingly and with fortitude? (Mulacara, 2/100) 69. Both the righteous and unrighteous must die. When death is inevitable for both, why should not one embrace death while maintaining good conduct? (Mulacara, 2/101) 70. There is nothing as fearful as death, and there is no suffering as great as birth. Be free from the fear of both birth and death, by doing away with attachment to the body. (Mulacara, 2/119) 71. Do not be in dread of the dreadful, the illness, the disease, the old age, and even the death or any other object of fear. (Prasnavyakarana, 7/20) 72. The non-vigilant has fear from all directions. The vigilant has none from any. (Acaranga, 3/75) 73. One who entertains fear finds himself lonely (and helpless). (Prasnavyakarana, 7/20) 74. The valiant does not tolerate indulgence, nor does he tolerate abhorrence. As he is pleased with his own self, he is not attached to anything. (Acaranga, 2/6/160) 75-77. As a tortoise withdraws his limbs within his own body, even so does the valiant withdraw his mind within himself from all sins. He also withdraws his hands, legs, mind, sense-organs, sinful moods, evil words, pride, and deceitfulness. This indeed is the valour of the valiant. (Sutrakrtanga, 1/8/16-18)

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96 Bhagavan Mahavira 7. The enlightened should contemplate that his soul is endowed with boundless energy. (Niyamasara, 96) 79. Only that man can take a right decision, whose soul is. not tormented by the afflictions of attachment and aversion. (Isibhasiyam, 44/1) 80. One who knows the spiritual (self) knows the external (world) too. He who knows the external world, knows the self also. (Acaranga, 1/7/147) 81. If one's vision is capable of expelling the darkness, he would not need a lamp. Likewise, the soul itself being blissful, there is no need of external object for bliss. (Pravacanasara, 1/67) 82. Those who are interested in worldly objects have of necessity misery in them. If there were no misery in them, they would not indulge in those objects. (Pravacanasara, 1/84) 83. I condemn what is worthy of condemnation. I censure what is worthy of censure. I atone for all the outer and ioner encroachments on the soul. (Mulacara, 2/55) 84. May the state of the Arhats, the Siddhas and the Vitaragas be my goal. (Mulacara, 2/107) 85. As the fire quickly consumes dry wood, even so an adept whose soul is equipoised and unattached causes the accumulated karma structure to disintegrate. (Acararga, 4/3/33) 86. Those who hanker after pleasure, those who are attached to or seized by passions and are obstinate like a miser, cannot know the nature of samadhi (self-concentration). (Sutrakrtanga, 1/2/58)

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Philosophy and Exhortation 97 87. A monk engrossed in meditation renounces all evils. Meditation is therefore the best way of regression from all transgressions. (Niyamasara, 69) 88. One who meditates on the soul, attains the supreme samadhi. (Niyamasara, 129) 89. The monk who is absorbed in meditation achieves victory over attachment and aversion, and the senses. His fear vanishes and his passions are shattered. Finally, he extirpates his indulgence, abhorrence and delusion.

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The Author Birth Initiation & Ordination Accession to Acaryaship Launching the Anuvrata Movement Honoured with the status of Yugapradhana Honoured by Bharatjyoti Award Honoured with Degree of D.Lit. : 1915 : 1926 : 1936 : 1949 : 1971 : 1986 : 1993 Honoured with Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration : 1993 Honoured with Ganadhipati : 1993 Acharya Shri Tulsi is a prolific writer. He has more than 100 books to his credit. Jaina Siddhanta Dipika, BhiksuNyaya Karnika, and Mano'nusasanamare his epoch-making works in Sanskrit elucidating Jain Philosophy. Jain Logic and Jain System of Yoga, respectively. His greatest contribution to literature is his Agama-vacanai.e. critical editions of the Jain canonical texts with elaborate commentaries, Sanskrit and Hindi renderings, and their annotations in the modern context. They are published by the Jain Vishva Bharati. The present work, Bhagavan Mahavira, is not merely a biography but an essay on Truth, becasue Bhagavan Mahavira was the embodiment of Truth rather than a historical hero. It was he who propounded anekantavada which is capable of synthesising the diverse currents of thought in the world. We will not be able to appreciate him correctly as a great prophet of ahimsa and anekantavada until we tried to practise the two ideals in our own lives. www.lainelibrary.org

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BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA GANADHIPATI T Jain Education later es! Personal use only betyra