Lord Mahavira Vol 01

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

Page 89

80
Lord Mahâvîra
is accepted Bhante! What you say is desired and accepted." Thus he worshiped without contradicting the Lord. With his mind, like this-he worshipped with a sincere desire for liberation, with a deep devotion.
Wherefrom, the supernaturals surrounding Bhagavan Mahâvîra were visible, they stopped their vehicles and alighted therefrom.
They being surrounding by their attendants came in the august presence of Bhagavan Mahâvîra and having fulfilled the conditions, they stood before him. They discarded live objects, they embraced non-alive objects, they bent their bodies in humility, they folded their palms as soon as his eyes fell on them, and they engrossed their minds in concentration. Then they moved round Bhagavan Mahâvîra thrice and paid their homage and obeisance. With king Kûnika at their fore, the whole family (including the ladies in attendance) turned their faces towards Bhagavan Mahâvîra and worshipped him with their hands folded in deep
reverence.
There on Bhagvan Mahavira, always the same in physical strength, with a body endowed with power, energy, glow and greatness, illustrious, with a voice like that of a krauñca bird or like the sound of the Autumn cloud or the heavenly trumpet delivered his sermon at full length to the great congregation attended by king Kûnika, the ladies of his harem, their attendants with their respective families, by rsis, munis, jopis and denizens of heavens,-sermon which spread through the heart, stayed in the throat, was held in the brain, in words received with different local sounds, free from indistinctness, in expressions clear and good, in a musical (sweet) voice, which could be turned into any language, in Ardhamâgadhî reaching a distance of a yojana.
Without feeling any exhaustion whatsoever, he delivered his sermon to that great assembly consisting of Aryans and nonAryans. There was simultaneous translation of Ardha-magadhi (the language of the sermon) into the language of the listeners. Quoth he
There is the loka (universe), there is aloka (space). Likewise, there are souls and non-souls (matter), bondage and liberation, virtue and vice, influx, check and experience, total exhaustion of karma, Arhats, Cakravarties, Baladevas, Vâsudevas, hells and the