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His mind was filled with Ahimsa, compassion, clemency and equality of all beings. The feeling of universal well being was deeply rooted in his psyche. Even after attaining omniscience, he gave sermons for the benefit of all beings and showed the path ot liberation. Humans listened to his preaching, accepted the true path, worked for the purification of their souls and attained the status of Siddha.
That was the age of kings seeking mundane pleasures and competing with each other, such as Kauravas and Jarasandh. Even the kshatriyas of the Yadav clan were infested with social evils like eating meat. As the king, so is the subject. Thus the common people were also seekers of mundane pleasures. Majority of people desisted spiritual pursuits.
Tirthankar Arishtanemi changed the direction of that age from mundane attitudes and attainments 10 the spiritual realm. That is why he is accepted as a great epoch-maker.
ARISHTANEMI AND SHRIKRISHNA Tirthankar Arishtanemi and Shrikrishna were both great epoch-makers, but their fields were different. Arishtanemi's field was spiritual and that of Shrikrishna was social.
They both were born in the Harivansh or Yadav clan and were cousins. Arishtanemi's father was Samudravijaya and Shrikrishna's father was Vasudev, the youngest brother of Samudravijaya.
Their places and conditions of birth were different. Arishtanemi was born in Shauryapur (modern Soriyapur, near Agra). The conditions at the time of his birth were normal and without any problems.
But Shrikrishna was born in adverse conditions. At the time of his birth his parents-Vasudev and Devaki-were imprisoned by Kamsa, the king of Mathura. To save the life of infant Shrikrishna was a problem. Some how Vasudev, with great difficulty, managed to carry the child to a cowherd named Nand. Shrikrishna spent his childhood there and grew playing around with children of cowherds and taking cows for grazing.
Shrikrishna was born in Mathura but was brought up in Gokul under the care of Yashoda, wife of Nand.
Shrikrishna was valorous right from his childhood. His strength, courage, vigour and valour became evident when he was just a child; he defeated the oppressors equipped with demonic powers assigned by his maternal uncle Kamsa, the king of Mathura, to kill him. When he was only an adolescent he released masses from the torment of cruel Kamsa by killing him.
After that his life of struggles began and he freed the land from many powerful and terror striking rulers of those times.
He was extremely virtuous, over powering and powerful. He pioneered a healthy social and political tradition. Founding of Dvarka, a gorgeous city as beautiful as Alkapuri, the city of gods, was a result of his efforts only.
Antakriddasha Mahima
• 386 .
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