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Persia, came to Mahavira Vardhamana and begged to be ordained as a monk, which was granted to him?. In short, people of every walk of life profitted by the sublime teachings of Mahavira. Thousands of rich persons came forward to forsake all things for the good and happiness of their souls, realizing the utter worthlessness of worldly pursuits.
One month before Mahavira obtained Nirvana, He had gone to Payapur in the province of Bihar and being absorbed in deep meditation, He shattered the remaining fetters of the flesh and liberated himself. This happened on the night of the 15th of the dark half of thc month of Kartika in 527 B. C. On this auspicious occasion the cighteen confederate kings of Kashi and Kosala, the nine Mallaki chiefs and the nine Licchavi princes, instituted an illuminatian," which was observed all over India and was the origin of the national festival of Divali."
Such was the Great Hcro Vardhamana, who radiated and diffuscd Divine Light around Him, and finally became a living cmbodiment of pure divine knowledge, that is ominscience.
I Tink, Dictimury of Jain Biographies, P. 92. 2. Kupasutra, ( Jnin Sutras, I, 266 ) 3. 11:rivams: purau XIX, 33 4. For further study refer to "Lord Mahavira and other trachers of his time" (Delhi), "Mabavira and Budhlia" (Chapter V of the "Buddhistic Studies", Cilentta), "Blingvann, Valavira" (Ilindi) etc,
