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284
Lord Mahavira
attacks by animals and insects, his nakedness and lack of concern about washing, his fasting, disregard for sleep, shelter or contact with other people, all are described as part of a long struggle to shake off the bondage brought about by body and mind and bring about a state of inner control: to abstain, in other words, from action (karman) and win through to spiritual freedom.
While it is likely that the ‘Pillow Scripture' was composed retrospectively with full awareness of Mahâvîra's doctrine and the nature of his claim to enlightenment, it should be noted that he is portrayed prior to his enlightenment as being familiar with the fact that earth, water, air, fire and plants are full of life-forms and thai true austerity involved causing them no injury (AS 1.8.1.11-12). Thus, knowledge of the underlying structure of life and a proper attitude towards it are presented in this early text as being the necessary preliminaries to enlightenment rather than its actual content.
The basic description of Mahâuîra's ascetic career was gradually expanded in later strata of the biography. The only specific region mentioned in the 'Pillow Scripture' as having been visited by the fordmaker was Ladha, now west Bengal, a dangerous and probably unaryan country where he was subjected to grievous treatment. An itinerary was subsequently provided for his travels by the Kalpasutra which gives a list of thirteen towns and cities in the Ganges basin where Mahâuîra passed various rainy seasons and the later strata connect these places with specific events in the biography.
At no point in the ‘Pillow Scripture and the second stratum of the biography is Mahâvîra described as being subjected in the course of his ascetic career to any sort of temptation or attack by supernatural forces. This is in contrast to the biography of the Buddha, a central motif of which, apparently deriving from a relatively early date, is his temptation by Mara, the god of death, who attempts to dissuade him forcibly from the attainment of enlightenment. While the Universal History was to introduce entirely new episodes into the biography of Mahâuîra in which he is attacked by inimical serpents and deities, the emphasis is firmly upon the great hero's forebearance and indifference in the face of difficulty; the issue of his ability to gain enlightenment is never called in question. 18
• A portion of the developed biography which may well be of
