________________
307
20
THE LIFE OF MAHÂVÎRA*
- K.V. Mardia
Mahâvîra was born in 599 B.C. in Kundagrama, then a large city in Northern India near the modern city of Patna. His father was King Siddhartha and his mother Trisalâ. His original name, Vardhamâna, which means “ever growing” was given to him because everything in the kingdom became abundant during the period of his mother's pregnancy.
He soon developed a great sense of understanding and rapport with animals. Even in his childhood he courageously subdued a terrifying snake. He also calmed an elephant which had gone on the rampage and stopped it from doing further damage. A fight with a large bully led to the name Mahâuîra or "Great Hero”.
He almost certainly received the typical training of a prince of that period e.g. in literature, political science, archery, mathematics, etc. He was very intelligent and at an early age nis teacher confessed that Mahâvîra was ahead of him in knowledge.
He led a normal domestic life and married Yasodâ (that is according to Svetambara, but was not married according to Digambara), having a daughter named Priyadarsanâ. According to one version, when he was 28 years old, on leaving the palace one day he saw a slave being whipped by his owner. Through this incident he became unhappy with the exploitation of the poor, gnorant and illiterate by richer members of the community, and a desire to leave family life developed within him. He did, however, have a deep feeling of consideration for his parents and this moved him to vow that he would not renounce domestic life until they
* K.V. Mardia, The Scientific Foundations of Jainism, Lala S. L. Jain Research Series,
Delhi, Motilal Banarsidas, 1990.
