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Vardhamâna and the Foundations of Jainism
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of the river Rjupalika. not far from an old temple, in the field of the householder Samaga, when the moon was in conjunction with the constellation Uttaraphalguni. (the Veneral e One) sat with joined heels, exposing himself to the hea of the sun. After fasting for two-and-a-half days, taking not even water, engaged in deep meditation, he reached the highest jnana (knowledge) and darsana (intuition), called kevala, which is infinite, supreme, unobstructed, unimpeded, complete, and full.63 When the Venerable Ascetic Mahâvîra had become a Jina and an arhat (worthy of worship), he was a kevalin Omniscient, comprehending all objects. He saw and knew whence they had come, where they would go, and whether they would be reborn as men, animals, gods, or hell beings. He knew the ideas and thoughts, the food, doings, desires, and deeds of all the living beings in the world.“
Upon attaining the omniscient state Mahâvîra became, as we have noted earlier, the twenty-fourth and final Jina of the present cycle. In order to understand exactly what this means, it is necessary to digress once more from the life of Mahâvîra, this time to explore the larger cosmological system of which that life is a part. The Jaina Universe and the Role of the Tirthankaras
Jainas envision the universe as a vast but finite three dimensional structure, somewhat resembling a man with arms akimbo and legs apart. Within this structure are three main tiers. ordered vertically. The middle tier, called Madhya-loka, is of primary concern to us, for here exist the "worlds” in which all human activity takes place. These worlds are arranged in countless (asamkhyata) concentric rings of land surrounding a central island (dvipa), each ring is separated by water, much in the manner of coral reefs. The land of the second ring from the center of this system is divided into inner and outer halves by a range of huge mountains. It is usually believed that human beings cannot be born anywhere beyond this range;65 outlying regions are hence the domain solely of the animals and the vegetable kingdom.
The central island is called Jambudvipa, after the jambu tree which stands, atop Mount Meru, at its very center. Jambudvipa
