Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Boolchand
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 38

( 31 ) first to dissuade him from his resolve but yielded in the end when they found that . Mahavira was definitely bent upon executing it.
Renunciation.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that disgusted with the non-finality of the things of the world and persuaded by a desire to search for the ultimate Truth, on the tenth day of Magsir Mahavira formally renounced all his secular bonds, left his silver, gold and riches, quitted and rejected his real, valuable property, distributed his wealth in presents, set out for the life of a homeless monk. The great event has been somewhat'poignantly described in the Kalpa-Sutra.
“In that period, in that age, in the first month of winter, in the first fortnight, in the dark (fortnight) of Margasiras, on its tenth day, when the shadow. had turned towards the east and the (first) Paurushi was full and over, on the day called Suvrata, in the Muhurta called Vijaya, in the palanquin Chandraprabha, Mahavira was followed on his way by a train of gods, men, and Asuras, and surrounded by a swarm of shell-blowers, proclaimers, pattivalas, courtiers, men carrying others on the back, heralds, and bell bearers. They praised and hymned him with kind, pleasing, sweet and soft words...... “Then the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira--gazed on by a circle of thousands of eyes, praised by a circle of thousands of mouths, extolled by a circle of thousands of hearts, being the object of many thousands of wishes, desired because of his splendour, beauty, and virtues, pointed out by a circle of thousands of forefingers, answering with a greeting) of his hands a circle of thousands of jointed hands of thousands of men and women, passing along a row of thousands, of palaces, greeted by sweet and delightful music, as beating of time, performance