Jain Journal 1973 07

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

Page 12

JULY, 1973
The fame of the Great Teacher had spread all over the Magadha country. Mahavira visited Rajagrha, where he was most cordially welcomed. King Srenika Bimbisara (see the Table already given) himself came and paid the highest respect to him. He took some vows and ever after remained a great patron of Jainism. His Queen Celana, with true womanly instinct became a devoted śrāvikā or lay-sister.
Meghakumara, a son of Srenika was ordained a member of the order. Prince Nandisena was also an important convert. He after a few days fell in love with a prostitute and was expelled from the order ; but he soon discovered his folly. He one day came to the Lord and began to weep. He was very sorry for his past conduct. Mahavira was convinced of his sincerity and he was re-admitted into the order.
We have already referred to Gosala. He met Mahavira in the second year of the latter's ‘preparatory' period at Nalanda near Rajagrha and having become his disciple towards the end of the same year, lived with him for six years and then deserted him. He then began to wander about alone and after two years at last settled down in Sravasti, where he founded a new order of ascetics called Ajivakas. This order of ascetics, during the life-time of its founder, and for some centuries after him, was very important. The Ājivakas are mentioned in Asoka's inscription on the Delhi pillar (about 234 B.C.) together with Brāhmaṇas and Nirgranthas (Jainas). Unlike Mahavira, Gosala denied free will and moral responsibility to man. All our acts, according to him are fore-ordained. They are the results of the natural environments we are placed in. In the 16th year of Gosala's period of teaching, Mahavira visited Sravasti. Here several Ajivakas became followers of the Arhat. Filled with rage and envy at the Lord's success, Gosala began to insult him publicly. His audacity grew so much that he came where Mahavira was staying and began to abuse him grossly. When rebuked by two of his (Mahavira's) disciples for his rude conduct towards his old master, Gosala destroyed them on the spot with his psychic power of destruction. At this time Mahavira reproached him for his inhuman act. Upon this, he-shot forth his psychic power of destruction against the Lord himself ; but it harmlessly rebounding from him struck Gosala. He then went mad and died broken-hearted after six months.
After these events, Lord Mahavira left Sravasti and at last arrived in the vicinity of Madhyagama, where, soon after his arrival, he got a very severe attack of bilious fever. His condition became so critical that all his disciples were alarmed. But in the end, he recovered from his illness and lived 16 years more to work for his mission. The mis