Lord Mahavira

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

Page 98

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the new converts this year there were the merchants Dhanya and Shālibhadra.
Campā was the next place which the Lord visited on the completion of the rainy season. Here he converted the prince Mahachandra Kumar. From Campā he proceeded to the province of Sindhu-Sauvira, where Udāyana was ruling over Vitabhaya. It has been already explained how this Udayana vas related to Mahavira through his wife Prabhāvati. The journey to Sindhu-samvira was very difficult, involving travel in desert areas and hard country ; but Mahavira went to the place in order to give to King Udāyana dīkshā as a 'Sramano pasaka'. Returning from Sindhu-Sauvira, he spent the rainy season at Vānijyagrāma.
After the rainy season, a visit was paid to Benares and certain other places in the kingdom of Kāśi, where numerous followers were gained for the Jain church. For the rainy season, the Lord returned to Rajgrha. At Rajgrha he spent a highly fruitful season. King Srenika had proclaimed that he would personally undertake to feed and otherwise overlook the dependents of anybody who desired to join Mahavira's order of monks. As a result of this proclamation, thousands of people joined the order and Mahavira stayed on at Rajgļhà giving dīkņā to the comers for sometime even after the finishing of the rainy season. Enraged, probably at the success of Lord Mahavira's ministry, Gosala Mankhaliputra, of whom mention has been made already, began his public criticism of Mahavira's faith, although unsuccessfully, in the course of an argument with Ardraka, a monk of Mahavira's order. The rainy season was spent by Mahavira again at Raj
gpha.
Having spent two rainy seasons at Rajgrha, Mahavira proceeded towards Vatsa country, visiting on the way Alabhiya in the kingdom of Kāśi. At Kausambi he converted queen Mţgāvati and several queens of