Jain Journal 1970 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 34

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no sin. At the same time he donned a divine garment, which he accepted from Sakra who received the rejected ornaments and fine clothes and removed them to the Ocean of Milk.
Mahavira obtained the degree of knowledge called Manahaparyāya and he resolved to neglect the care of his body for twelve years, bearing with equanimity all pleasures and pains, whether arising from divine powers, from men or from animals. The twelve years duly passed and it was in the thirteenth year that Mahavira, seated in deep meditation beside a Sala tree, near the town Grimbhikagrama, attained kevalajñāna, infinite and supreme knowledge and intuition.
JAIN JOURNAL
Now the time had come for him to teach the doctrine of the Jinas. To this end the gods prepared for him a samavasaraṇa or preaching hall, and entering this by the eastern gate, he took his seat upon the throne, and taught the Divine Law to gods and men.
During a period of nearly thirty years following, Mahavira wandered to and fro, spending the rainy season in different cities, founding a great community of monks and lay votaries, and teaching the five great vows, the doctrine of six classes of living beings, and so forth. At the end of that time, in the town of Pava, the venerable ascetic Mahavira entered nirvāṇa, cutting asunder the ties of birth, old age and death, becoming a Siddha, a Buddha, a Mukta, one who is finally released, never more to return, entering the paradise of perfected souls.
Parsvanatha
Parsvanatha was born at Varanasi. His father's name was Asvasena and mother's Bama. Below we give certain episodes peculiar to Parsva from Pārsvanathacarita which relates the story of nine prebirths of Parsvanatha and Katha (originally the brothers Marubhuti and Kamatha in each of which the former is slain by the latter, but dies forgivingly. When Marubhuti is reborn as Parsva, Kamatha is reborn first as Katha or Kamatha, who becomes an ascetic and later as the Asura Meghamali.
One day Parsva saw Katha surrounded by a great concourse of people, performing the severe five-fire-penance (pañcāgnitapa). And he saw that Katha had thrown a great serpent into a fire-pan which stands upon the fagots of the fire. He asked the reason for this pitiless practice, inconsistent with Katha's own austerities. Katha replied that kings might understand elephants and horses, but that sages alone understood religion. Parsva had the fire put out, the agonised serpent