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F03 Stories Preceding Bhagawan Mahävir
01 - Bharat and Bahubali
tradition, after he attained an acute detachment of worldly life, he renounced that life and became a monk, immediately achieving keval-jnän. At the end of his life, he attained liberation. Moral:
The focus of this great story is on ego and self-realization. Ego and pride build negative karma and lead one to destructive behavior as detailed in the story. Ego also causes anger and leads one to irrational behavior. Ego and superficial pride must be overcome on the path to enlightenment and omniscience. We should all strive for cultivating humility, one of the fundamental principles of Jainism. Highlights:
Bharat as Chakravarti Bharat and Bahubali's duel and Bahubali's realization not to harm an elder brother over material possessions Bahubali's "elephant" or ego Bharat's attainment of Keval- jnän
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015
