Jaina Gazette 1928

SR No.: 034890
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ajitprasad, C S Mallinath
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office
Publication Year: 1928
Total Pages: 502
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 33 MB

Page 86

LORD MAHAVIRA
177
hold stone to be God. Those who worship images, do not regard the collection of material atoms to be the God, they rather worship God thrɔugh the images. I cannot, however, say anything more relating to other religions who use images in worship. but among the Jains, image-worship is based upon a very noble principle and deep philosophy, and to impute stone-worship to them cannot be other than the result of either ignorance or of the meanest sort of bigotry.
LORD MAHAVIRA.
BY
Umrao Singh Tank, B.A., LL.B. I ORD Mahavira, the last Arhat * of the Jainas and a great u saviour of the world was born in 598 B.C. in Kundagrama in the territory of Videha. His father Siddhartha was the ruling chief of that place and his mother Trishala was a sister of Chetaka 1 who may be called the constilutional king of Vaisali, + the capital of Videha as the Government of Vaisali was vested in a senate of which he was the hereditary president. Through his mother, Lord Mahavira was connected with the ruling dynasty of Magadha, as his cousin (Chetaka's daughier) had married Seniya Bimbisara. The following table constructed by Dr. Jacobi gives the names of the relations of Lord Vardhamana Mahavira or Gnatriputra :
Thus we see that Lord Mahavira was a highly-connected personage and consequently, his religious movement was chiefly patronized by his influential relations.
* Jina is a generic term applied to those persons who have fully developed their spirituai self. The Jinas who become the spiritual leaders of the people are called Arhats.
t" Vaisali is the modern Besarh about 27 miles north of Patna" (Hoerple).
1. The Digambaras say that Trisbala or Priyakarini the mother of Lord Mahavira was the daughter of King Chetaka. (Ed. J G.] Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat