Lord Mahavira Vol 01

Author(s): S C Rampuria
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati Institute

Page 80

Personality of Lord Mahavira and his Sermon at Champa
71 of eleven Angas. They posessed encylopaedic knowledge (convering texts like Prakîrnaka, Srutadesa, Srutaniryukti, etc.). They knew all combinations of words as well as all languages. Though not yet Jinas themselves, they were very near to them. Like an omniscient personality, they propounded the fundamentals (of the Sramana path) and lived on by enriching their souls through restraint and penance.
In that period, at that time, Sramana Bhagavân Mahâvîra had many monks as his disciples who were disciplined in the practice of controls (samitis, etc.), in their movements, their words (expression), their begging, maintenance of their begging bowls and depositing their excreta. They also practised controls of the mind, words and body called guptis. They were inwardly inclined, never allowed their sense-organs to come in touch with ephemeral objects and were firmly rooted in celibacy. They were free from 'meane'-ness, free from the possession of objects (free from objects which established contact with mundane life, and also free from grief and misery) and free from factors which generated karma bondage.
They were rid of affection like a small bell-metal vessel. They were spotless like a conch. Like a soul, they had unobstructed movement. They were pure in conduct like pure gold. They were clean in their inclinations like the surface of a mirror. They had their limbs hidden like those of a tortoise. They were free from contamination like lotus leaf. They were without a support like the sky. They were without a home like free air. They caused no pain like the beams of the moon. They were rich in (physical as well as spiritual) capacity like the sun. they were ocean in depth. They were wholly free like the birds. They were firmly rooted like Mount Meru. They were pure at heart like water in autumn. They were uniform (straight) like a rhino's horn. They were unifatuated (ever alert) like a bharunda bird. They were powerful like an elephant. They were patient like a bull. They were invincible like a lion. They were tolerant to sundry touches like the earth. They were always beaming like a well-fed tree.
These monks had no obstruction whatsoever at any place. Obstruction has been stated to be of four types, viz., of object, of space, of time and of cognition. As to object, obstruction from living organism, lifeless objects and mixed objects; as to space,