________________
The Relevance of Teachings of Lord Mahavira
123
but was a Kshatriya prince. We find the biography of Mahavira in great details in Jain literature. To be brief and precise we may note that he was born in 599 B.C. in a royal family as a prince. He was named Vardhamāna. At the age of thirty with the consent of his elder brother and his relatives, Mahavira accepted renunciation. For twelve and a half years he spent as an ascetic, practicing rigorous austerities till he achieved omniscience (Kevala jnāna). In the thirteenth year he attained infinite intuition, infinite knowledge, infinite power and infinite bliss. After attaining omniscience he began to preach his message of Truth and Non-violence. In Jain tradition the congregation before which he preached is called Samavasharana. He preached for thirty years i.e. till the age of seventy two when Mahavira passed away in perfect health and while delivering his last Sermon, at Madhyama Pava. Lord Mahavira preached Jain faith, its metaphysics, its ethics, its great principles emphasizing purity of thought and action. His preachings were in the language of the common people, in Prakrit and in Ardha maghadhi. His central theme was leading a life towards spirituality to attain Eternal Bliss and Freedom.
According to Jaina view many abuses had crept into the people of Mahavira's times in general, and into Jainism in particular. Mahavira did his utmost to remove them and to bring a spiritual awareness amongst the mass. He brought some changes even in the traditional religion coming from his predecessor Parsva. He added the vow of chastity (Brahmacharya) and made the system more systematic. Mahavir was a great reformer who also possessed a great organizing capacity. Teachings of Mahavira:
As earlier mentioned, Mahavira was not the founder but a reformer of the existing Jainism and Jain community. He gave a sound philosophic justification of the rules and doctrines concerning human life, its bondage and its freedom. We find, in Jain literature a very detailed and exhaustively elaborate record of Mahavir's
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
