Jain Digest 2001 01 Vol 17 No 01

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 22

Life of Bhagwan Mahavir* (cont.)
the sight of his ranquil stature, natural simplicity, a harmfree life the highest state of pure meditation, exhausted all karma bondand humility. At times when he wanted to take food, he would ages including the four which still till the final moment, fully disthink of imposing some difficult conditions for acceptance. If some carded his mortal frame and entered into the final liberation, nirJain follower fulfilled the conditions, only then would he accept vana. The event took place about 2500 years ago. It was the last the food, and soon thereafter would return to the forest. In this day of the dark half of the month of Kartika, and the night was manner, he spent 12 years progressing on the road to detachment. pitchy dark. The morning was soon to start. Bhagwan Mahavir One day, at the age of 42, he came to a forest named Manohara on went into liberation. On receiving the news of his liberation, the the bank of the river Rijukula near the village Jrimbhika. There, gods came down to perform the last ceremony. The city of Pava beneath a Sala tree, on a slab of stone, he assumed pratima-yoga became illuminated with lights, and since then is called Dipawali, and sat down in a trance. It was evening on the tenth day of the the festival of lights. bright half of Vaisakha. With the help of his soul, he experienced the purest state. With deepest of concentration on the self, he erased the remnants of his attachment and became fully detached. No sooner did he attain the stage of detachment, four of the Karmas were destroyed. He had achieved the supreme knowledge, kevalajnana. As a result, he became all knowing "Arihant." When Saudharm Indra realized that Tirthankar Mahavira had come to “Jainism has contributed to the world the sublime doctrine of Ahimsa. acquire the supreme knowledge. At once he came down and No other religion has emphasized the importance of Ahimsa and carried performed the kalyanaka ceremony befitting the occasion. He its practice to the extent that Jainism has done. Jainism deserves to ordered Kuvera to erect a congregation hall where the Tirthankara
become the universal religion because of its Ahimsa doctrine." could deliver his sermon. The congregation hall of a Tirthankara is called samavasarana. Kuvera exhausted all his resources and skill in the construction of the congregation hall where all are
- Justice Ranglekar, Bombay High Court seated alike, a king or a pauper. Even animals, birds and beasts take their seat along with monks and nuns, men and women followers, even gods and goddesses. "What would be the condition of the Indian Sanskrit literature if the Such a motley audience is difficult to find on any other occasion. contribution of the Jains were removed? The more I study Jain literature His principal and 1st disciple was Indrabhuti, a great Vedic scholar
the more happy and wonder struck I am." of the time. Along with Indrabhuti, his 500 disciples also joined
- Dr. Hertel, Germany the order of Mahavira. Indrabhuti requested the Bhagwan to shower his words of wisdom to the assembled so that people may be benefited by the divine knowledge. The divine words began to flow from the lips of the Bhagwan. The omkara sound was spreading out and it was revealing the true nature of the soul and matter. It was virtually a shower of nectar. The members of the audience
(Continued from Page 9) were soaked in the joy. On the first day of the dark half of Shravan month, the 1st sermon by the Bhagwan commenced. That day is
principle of Satya by living the truth in our minds and in our celebrated all over the country as the Vira Shasana Day. After this,
behaviour, that is, by making us behave ourwardly according to Bhagavan Mahavir went on wandering and delivering sermons all
what we believe inwardly. over India for about 30 years. Wherever he went, he delivered his sermons. Everbody, from the king to the commoner were inspired,
A clear expression of this unity between the professional asand thousands became his followers. Thousands acquired right
cetics and people in general is the remarkable fact that the Jain knowledge and accepted the vows so that the whole environment
Scriptures were not written in Sanskrit, but in Ardha-Maghadi, was charged with spirituality.
that is to say, not in the language of the learned but of the com
mon people. This means that the highest religious doctrine is within In the end, while wandering from place to place, Bhagavan Mahavir
the reach of everyone. This is the strength of Jainism. arrived at Pava. There he stopped any further wandering and sermonising, ended all activities of body, mind and speech, reached
20 / JAIN DIGEST SPRING 2001 Jain Education Interational 2010_02