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ETHICAL DOCTRINES IN JAINISM
LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF MAHAVIRA: To deal with the life of Mahavira in brief, “Vardhamāna Mahāvīra was born at Kundapura or Kundagrāma. His father's name was Siddhārtha who belonged to the Jñāts Ksatriyas. His mother was Trisalā who was the sister* of king Cetaka, the ruler of Vaiśāli and belonging to the Licchavi Ksatriyas. Thus on the father's as well as on the mother's side he belonged to the royal Ksatriya stock.1" “The original name of the prophet was Vardhamāna, while his more popular name Mahāvira is said to have been bestowed on him by gods. The Canon also gives him a number of suggestive epithets like Nāyaputtaa, scion of the Nāya clan, Kāsava on account of gotra, Vesāliya after his place of birth and Videhadinna after his native country. He is most frequently referred to as 'the venerable ascetic Mahāvira.2" Accord ing to the Digambara tradition he led a life of celibacy, while according to the Svetāmbara tradition he married Yasodā and was blessed with a daughter called Priyadarśanā. At the age of thirty he relinquished worldly comforts despite his princely career and became a Nirgrantha. After undergoing a strenuous course of discipline for a period of twelve years, he attained perfection and became a Kevalin. “For full thirty years he visited different parts of the country, and it was his Vihāra or religious tour as well as that of Buddha that gave Magadhan territory the name of Bihar.3" "In view of the all-embracing character of Mahavira's principles, Samantabhadra, as early as 2nd century A.D., called the Tirtha of Mahavira by the name Sarvodaya, which term is so commonly used now-a-days after Gandhiji. At the age of 72. Mahāvira attained Nirvāna at Pāvā in 527 B.C.4” After the acquisition of perfect knowledge he is said to have spent the first rainy season in Asthikāgrāma, three rainy seasons in Campā, twelve in Vaisālī and Vāniyagāma, fourteen in Rāyagiha and the suburb of Nālandā, six in Mithilā, two in Bhaddiyā and one in Alabhiyā, one in Paniyabhūmi, one in Sāvatthi, one in the town of Pāvā.5 “From the identification of a few of these places, it appears that the field of influence of Mahavira roughly formed the modern provinces of Bihar and some parts of Bengal and U.P.6” “They give us a fair idea of the country over which he wandered propagating his faith, but we must bear in mind that the list is neither exhaustive nor
1 History of Jaina Monachism, p. 65.
2 The Age of Imperial Unity, p. 413. 3 Mahāvīra and his philosophy of life, p. 3. 4 Ibid. 5 Kalpasūtra, p. 264.
6H.J. M. p. 69. *Digambara tradition regards her as the daughter of Cetaka.
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