Bhagavana Mahavira

Author(s): Chauthmal Maharaj
Publisher: Jainoday Pustak Prakashan Samiti Ratlam

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| The Tirthankaras and the Aras
she gave birth to a child on the eighth day after full moon in the month of Chaitra (roughly concurrent with the March). This child was very beautiful and charming and possessed auspicious long arms, celestial features and a radiant glow on his face. He was named as Rishabha Devaji. His childhood was spent in an atmosphere of love and affection and he gave himself much to the pursuit of games and sports. When he attained youth he married two wives Sumangala and Sunanda by name. By law of inheritance, Rishabha Devaji was also made a Patriarch. But the aim of his life was not limited to a mere leadership of a his small group of men. It was some thing more than that and by means of qualities inherited from his forefathers, such as inborn celestial powers, beauty, fame and morality that were obtained due to the auspicious Karman of previous lives, and above all, the quality of winning over the fiercest and strongest of men simply with the sweetness and charm of his speech. He soon turned patriachate into kinghood. From his time dates the system of monarchical government in the world. He laid the foundation of the city of Vinita in the woody part of his native land and introduced many new things into his kingdom, for example, rules of justice, politics, social laws and rules governing, trade and commerce and so on. Later on, he strengthened the foundations of his kingdom on the basis of these very things, He was the first great man who gave a definite form to arts and industries in this world. People were divided on the basis of their vocations into different groups or castes such as potters, blacksmiths, weavers, painters, farmers, artists, carpenters, tailors, oil-makers, and perfumers. Arrangement was also made for educating these occupationists