Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 45

contemplation. He went about like this for a period of twelve and a half years during which time he observed complete silence, speaking only to enquire about the route, or to seek permission to stay or to answer someone's questions. He also toured the part of the country inhabited by uncivilised and wicked tribesmen who subjected him to unbearable physical torture such as beating, etc. Once some cow-heard even drove pegs in his ears. He bore all those afflictions with courage and fortitude. At the end of this period, his penance and meditation bore fruit. He destroyed the four types of destructive karma and gained enlightenment. Omniscient Tīrthankara Mahāvīra –
Having destroyed the four destructive karma, Mahāvīra became perfectly undeluded, gained omniscience, omnivision and realised his full spiritual potential. When the news of His enlightenment reached the highly learned Brahmin priests Indrabhūti, Vayubhūti, Agnibhūti, etc, they decided to challenge Him. Eleven of them came and had a change of heart as soon as the Lord removed their lingering doubts about the real form of the soul etc. They became His very first and principal disciples (Gaṇadharas). Omniscient Lord Mahāvīra now started preaching and established a four-fold religious order comprising monks, nuns, as well as lay male and female followers. This order is known as 'Tirtha' or the ford to go across the ocean of mundane existence and, therefore, the Lord Prophet is known as 'Tirthankara' or the establisher of Tirtha. Vardhaman Mahāvīra, thus became the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the descendant phase of the current time-cycle. His teachings were on time honoured lines but he gave a new insight with which to interpret the existing knowledge. His very first sermon was regarding the nature of reality, which was continuously changing yet constant. When he said, "The reality about things and beings is that they are born, they are destroyed and they are constant." This seeming contradiction was resolved when he explained that MAHĀVĪRA: THE MESSIAH OF MERCY : 17
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