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Bhagwan Mahavira
111
the people conscious of the fact that there is fundamental antagonism between religion and injury. This is the substance of Māhāvira's preachings.
Jaina Sangh Having heard the religious sermons beneficial to the soul the eight contemporary kings named Virāngaka, Virayasha, Sanjaya, Enayaka, Seya, Śiva, Udayana and Sankha took initiation at his hands and many princes such as Abhayakumara, Meghakumāra undertook vows renouncing the house etc. Many hermits accepted the pupilhood of Mahāvīrā having got at the secret of penance from him. Many women also entered the nun's order realizing the worthlessness of the world. This order includes many princesses also. Srenik the lord of Magadha and Konika Cetaka, the king of Vaisāli and Candapradyota, the ruler of Avanti were also Mahavira's followers. Besides the merchant-prince, Ananda, Sakatāla who was a potter was amongst his lay followers, Arjunamāli, the worst of the robbers, gave up animosity, drank deep the cup of peace, cultivated forgiveness and became baptized into Jainism. The Sudras and Cāndalas were given a place of pride in the Jaina Sangha,
Mahāvira's Sangha had spread its roots far and wide into the places such as Radha, Magadha, Videha, Kaši, Košala, Śūrasena, Vatsa and Avanti. The area of his wanderings extended upto Magadh, Videha, Kāśi, Kośala, Rādha and Vatsa etc etc.
Thirty years after Mahāvira became Tirthankara, he wandered everywhere in the country. He got final emancipation at the age of seventytwo having preached about a religion which is auspicious in the beginning, auspicious in the middle and auspicious in the end. The people lighted the lamps and bade him last farewell. This event originated the present Dipotsavi-the festival of illumination.
Special need of character
At the time of Malāvira, many founders of religion, small and great, moved about but amongst all of them, Mahavira was extraordinarily brilliant. Jaina monks had made herculean efforts to strip the Brāhmanic religions of the element of injury with which they were pervaded out and out on account of this, injury committed in the name of religion came to be thoroughly wiped out. Sacrifices which did not come to a culmination without the slauhter of animals generally disappeared from the Bhāratavarşa. The fanatic Hindu kings like Puşyamitra attempted to revive these almost defunct sacrifies but they also met with failure due to irresistible spiritual powers of the monks and also due to the impact of their renunciation and
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