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THE LIFE OF MAHAVIRA
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called Samāga1 which surrounded an old temple, and through this field the river Rijupālika2 flowed. One afternoon Mahāvira was seated under the shade of a Sāla tree in this quiet meadow in deepest meditation. Just as before his initiation, so now he had fasted for two-and-a-half days without even touching water, and as he sat there lost in thought, he peacefully attained supreme knowledge. Henceforth he possessed 'complete and full, the unobstructed, unimpeded, infinite and supreme, best knowledge and intuition called Kevala jñāna'. His meditations and austerities had been so profound as to destroy the last of all the karma, the enemies to enlightenment, knowledge and freedom, and henceforth his pathway would be unimpeded. Mahāvīra now added to his titles those of Fina (or Conqueror of the Eight Karma, the great enemies), from which Jainism derives its name, Arhata (or Being worthy of Veneration), Arihanta (or Destroyer of Enemies) and Aruhanta or (One who has killed even the roots of karma).
vira as a
Now, as the conqueror of karma and equipped with Mahasupreme knowledge, Mahāvīra began to teach his way, Preacher. and his first sermon was on the five great vows which we shall study later.
The Jaina declare that Mahavira's great message to mankind was that birth is nothing and caste nothing, but karma everything, and on the destruction of karma future happiness depends.
The Brahmans had laid stress on birth, and had insisted that, however bad a Brahman were, he would need to do small penance compared with what would be obligatory on even a righteous man of low caste.
Mahavira's contemporary Buddha had taught that in desire lay the cause that led to rebirth; that mental
Or Samāka or Samaka.
2 Or Rijukula, or Rijuvālikā.
3 If Mahavira had preached before he got Kevala jñāna, his sermons would have contained some mistakes; now of course they were perfect.
