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LORD MAHAVIRA - OBSTACLES OF HIS LIFE Edited for children by Mrs. Bharati T. Salgia
tsalgia@att.net
Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last of the Jain Tirthankaras, was the son of King Siddharatha and Queen Trishla of Kundalgram in Bihar (India). At the age of 30, he abandoned his princely pleasures and comforts to become an ascetic (sadhu).
The life of a sadhu is a path of spiritual discipline, which is full of pain and obstacles. As an ascetic, Lord Mahavira had to face many upsaragas (obstacles), but his firm faith in meditation gave him the strength to bear all physical pain without anger and enmity. With his inner peace, he forgave all those who tortured him. He believed each person is tied to his previous karmas (deeds). In order to cleanse himself of his vices and bad deeds, a man must accept all pain. Avoiding pain would only mean reserving it for the future life.
The harsh winds, the severe summer heat, and bitter biting cold did not spare him. But he withstood all pain without complaint. To purify his soul, he accepted and invited every pain as a challenge to his power of tolerance. His boundless forgiving nature changed the heart of the wicked.
Jain literature has many examples of the sufferings of Lord Mahavira. Following are some wellknown incidents of obstacles in his life. (1) The Cowherd's Cruelty Towards the Lord
It was a beautiful evening when Lord Mahavira was in deep meditation, completely unaware of his surroundings. A cowherd told Mahavira to watch his oxen, for he had to go home to milk the cows. Without waiting for a reply from the Lord, he left. When he returned and did not see the oxen, he began to curse the Lord in great anger. Later, after searching all over, he returned and found the oxen sitting by the side of the Lord. He got angry and suspicious and started beating the Lord with a thick rope. Suddenly, a hand stopped the cowherd. He looked back and saw a heavenly person who said, "Stop! You do not know that this ascetic is the crownprince Mahavira, son of King Siddharatha!" When he heard this he was very ashamed of his misdeed and fell at the feet of the Lord and begged for forgiveness. After some time, the Lord's meditation was over. He opened his eyes and saw the cowherd at his feet. He
forgave him with a smile. He also saw God Indra standing with folded hands and requesting humbly, "O Lord, the people on this earth are ignorant of your asceticism and renunciation. Therefore, kindly permit me to be your humble bodyguard and protect you from all the pain in your path of accomplishment."
Lord Mahavira did not accept the help of God Indra and said with a smile, “Knowledge and Moksha (emancipation) is possible only by self-courage, exertion and labor. It is not possible to achieve knowledge with the help of others. Only self-help could be the helper of a person."
(2) Yaksha's Obstruction and Subtugation
Once Lord Mahavira reached the village of Asthika, nearby there was an old temple, which looked very desolate and dreary. He decided to meditate there. It was the abode of a fierce Yaksha (demon). The villagers warned him of the danger and requested him to select another safe place. Mahavira insisted he wanted to meditate there, and said he was not afraid of the Yaksha.
It was evening and the villagers left. Lord Mahavira stood there in deep meditation. After some time in the dense darkness, the Yaksha made a loud roar. The whole temple was echoing with his loud cry. Lord Mahavira did not move, and stood there like a statue. The Yaksha was very angry to see his defeat. He took frightening shapes of a monster, an elephant, a fearful lion, a hideous snake, and many others. Once he took the shape of poisonous insects and bit Lord Mahavira's whole body, but the Lord did not move. Finally, the Yaksha was ashamed of his defeat. He thought, “This man is a super-human being, and I must bow down to him." He gave up his criminal nature. The next morning the villagers came to see Lord Mahavira. They were all worried about his condition. To their surprise, they found him in deep meditation! Then the village astrologer told the villagers, "This monk is not an ordinary saint. He is the omnipotent Charkravrti of the Dharma. By the mere stepping of his foot in this village, the problem of the evil yaksha is removed. The Yaksha has now become the follower of Lord Mahavira. Now our village is free from the fear of the yaksha."
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Jain Education Interational 2010_03
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