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Lord Mahavira
K. B. JINDAL
Lord Mahavira, the last Arhat of the Jainas and a great saviour of the world, was born in 599 B.C. in Kundagrama in the territory of Videha. His father Siddhartha was the ruling chief of that place and his mother Trisala was a sister of Cetaka who may be called the constitutional 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 (Cetaka's daughter) had married Srenika Bimbisara. The following table constructed by Dr. Jacobi gives the names of the relations of Lord Vardhamana Mahavira of Jnatrputra :
Suparsva
Siddhartha=Trisala
Cetaka=Subhadra
Nandivardhana
Vardhamana Sudarsana Mahavira=Yasoda
Srenika=Celana
Bimbisara Jamali=Anojja
Kunika Sesavati
Ajatasatru
Udayin, Founder
of Pataliputra
Thus we see that Lord Mahavira was a highly connected personage and consequently, his religious movement was chiefly patronised by the influential relations.
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