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Jainism : The Cosmic Vision a half months, six penitential exercises of two months, two penitential exercises of one and a half months, twelve penitential exercises of one month each and seventy-two penitential exercises of a fortnight. For 4166 days out of 4515 days of his life of austerity, he performed penitence even without water. He journeyed thousands of miles on foot without any garment on his body, or an umbrella over his head, or shoes on his feet. Thus he proved that man's soul has tremendous strength. If your are to weigh the strength of the whole world on one side, and the soul's strength on the other, the soul's strength excels. If a man treads the path of ahimsa and truth, he becomes Paramatma. Paramatma is none other than the soul itself. It is the soul that becomes Paramatma.
After twelve and a half years of severe austerity and unprecedented penance, Mahavira sat in meditation in a ricefield on the bank of the river Rajuvalika. It was the tenth day of bright half of the month of Vaishakla. It was the fourth quarter (3 hours' period) of the day. He was performing a twodays fast. And on this day, under a shala (teak) tree he was sitting in godohasana (cow-milking) posture (knees up and head lowered). At that time he attained Kevaljnana (omniscience). The lamp of infinite knowledge now shone bright. For a while the whole samsara was lit up in unprecedented light. The directions became calm and purified. With a loud beating of drums, gods descended to the earth to celebrate Bhagwan's attainment of kaivalya (omniscience). Bhagwan found the path to true happiness. He became free from all confusions of samsara and all complexes of the world. All the three world : hell, earth and heaven, and all the three aspects of time, the present, the past and the future, made their abode in Mahavira's heart. After his
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