Lord Mahavira

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

Page 51

1
ENLIGHTENMENT
After Gosala's withdrawal, Mahavira continued his wanderings and practice of asceticism alone. Gosala proclaimed himself a Jina and started collecting followers after acquiring supernormal powers; but Mahavira persisted in his search. From Siddharthagrama he went to Vaisali and thence to Vanijyagrama, where he was visited by Ananda, a wealthy merchant of the place; and then travelled to Sravasti (which has been identified with Sahet-Mahet on the south bank of the the river Tapti) for his tenth चतुर्मास.
On the expiry of the tenth
began the sad episode of sangamaka, the temper-god, who made his appearance and began his attack which in its various forms lasted for about six months. The eleventh
चतुर्भास was spent at Vaisali and the twelfth at Champa. The interval between the eleventh and the twelfth was marked by the famous fat Kausambi, which took five months and twentyfive days to be fulfilled and meant a forced fast for Mahavira of this duration. "During the thirteenth year, in the second month of summer, in the fourth fortnight, the light (fortnight) of Vaisakha, on its tenth day, called Suvrata, in the Muhurta called Vijaya, while the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni, when the shadow had turned towards the east and the first wake was over, outside the town Jṛmbhikagrama, on the northern bank of the river Ṛjupalika,. in the field of the householder Samaga, under a Sala tree, in a squatting position with joint heels exposing himself to the heat of the Sun, with the knees high and the head low, in deep meditation, in the midst of abstract meditation, he reached the complete and full, the unobstructed, unimpeded, infinite and supreme, best knowledge and intuition, called Kevala."