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LORD MAHÂVÎRA AND HIS DISCIPLES *
-H.H. Wilson
The twenty-fourth Tîrthankara Mahâvîra's first birth, which occured at a period indefinitely remote, was as Nayasara, head man of a village, in the country of Vijaya, subject to Satrumardana. His piety and humanity elevated him next to the heaven called Saudharma, where he enjoyed happiness for some oceans of years. He was next born as Marichi, the grandson of the first Tirthankara Rishabha, then transferred to the Brahmaloka, whence he returned to earth as a worldly-minded and sensual Brahman, the consequence of which was his repeated births in the same caste, each birth being separated by an interval passed in one of the Jain heavens, and each period of life extending to many lakhs of years. He then became Visvabhuta, prince of Rajagriha, and next a Vasudeva, named Triprishtha, from having three back bones: his uncle and foe in a former life, Visabhanandi, was born as his Protagonist, or Prativasudeva, named Asvagriva or Hayagriva, and was, in the course of events, destroyed by the Vasudeva, a palpable adaptation of the Pauranic legend of Vishnu and Hayagriva. Triprishtha having put his Chamberlain cruelly to death was condemned to hell, and again born as a lion : he migrated through various forms, until he became the Chakravartti Privamitra, in the division of the world Mahavideha. After a victorious reign of eighty-four lakhs of years he became an ascetic for a further period of a hundred lakhs, and was then translated to one of the higher heavens. Thence he returned to earth in the Bharata division as Nandana, the son of Jitasatru, who adopted a life of devotion and diligently adored the Jinas. After an existence of twenty-five lakhs of years he was raised to the dignity of king of the gods in the Pushpottara heaven, in which capacity he
* Religious Sects of the Hindus, Sushil Gupta (India) Put. Ltd. Calcutta, 1958
| SR No. | 023277 |
| Book Title | Lord Mahavira Vol 02 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | S C Rampuria |
| Publisher | Jain Vishva Bharati Institute |
| Publication Year | 2001 |
| Total Pages | 244 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 21 MB |