Lord Mahavira Vol 02

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

Page 41

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Lord Mahåvira
Tris'ala saw." Having then loaded them with sweetmeats, sweetsmelling garlands, garments, ornaments, and such gifts as were due to them, King Siddhartha, with the highest reverence and honour, dismissed the interpreters of dreams.
It was in the summer season, in the first month, in the second demlunation, during the bright half of the moon of Chaitra, on the thirteenth day, after a gestation of nine months and seven and a half days, that the venerable ascetic Mahâvîra was born, a faultless child, when the planets were at their greatest elongation, and when they were in a fortunate conjunction with the moon. It was at midnight, under the constellation of Uttara Phalguni, at a lucky conjunction of the moon and planets, that the event took place. . The venerable ascetic Mahâvîra was learned and intent on the acquisition of knowledge, perfect in his form, and free from all defects, benevolent and affable in disposition. Thirty years he lived as a householder, but after the departure to the abode of the gods of his father and mother, he determined to carry out his purpose, and obtained the consent of his brother, who had now become king. While the venerable ascetic Mahâvîra was yet living in the society of men, and following the religious practice of a householder, he had obtained incomparable, all-manifesting indestructibie intelligence and perception. Therefore by this incomparable, all manifesting intelligence and perception, clearly seeing that the time of his initiation had arrived, he abandoned in fixed resolve all his silver, abandoned all his gold, his wealth, kingdom, country, army, chariots, treasury, store-houses, city, private apartments, and society; and taking his money, golden ornaments, Jewels, precious stones, pearls, conchs, corals, rubies, and other precious stones, he distributed them in charity, and divided them among his relations. Thereupon the adorable ascetic Mahâvîra accompanied also with all his wealth, all his glory, all his troops, all his chariots, all his attendants, all his magnificence, all his ornaments, all his grandeur, all his wealth, all his subjects, all his dancers, all his musicians, all the members of the female apartments, in the midst of all these attendants, and while all those musical instruments were sounding, he proceeded through the midst of Kundanagar, to the garden called the Prince's Park, where the As'oka ( Free from Sorrow ) tree grew ; under it he