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Lord Mahâvîra: A Revolutionary
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King Chetaka was the chief of Vaishali Federal Republic. He had seven daughters and one sister named Trishala. She was married Siddartha chief of a unit of Vaishali Federal Republic. Once his wife, Trishala, had fourteen dreams. Immediately she asked her husband to invite psyiologist to interpret the dreams. After scrutinizing the contents of the dreams, they calculated that a great soul would take birth in the womb of Trishala. "That soul will reach the back of perfection of self-realisation and will be the torch bearer of the whole world. He will be the harbinger of j peace and bestower of happiness to the worried masses. He will undergo severe mental tribulations and physical hardships with equanimity of mind and finally achieve enlightenment. He will be the loadstone of all hearts and loadstar of all eyes even at home. He will become atreclus who will lead the religious world to perfection and create a harmonious atmosphere. On the whole, he will be the hero of the human race, in whom love for living beings; without any discrimination, will reach its pinnacle. Though a man in flesh and blood, his divinity will be unrivalled." they said.
Mahâvîra was born in 599 B.C. His father and mother were very much delighted at his birth. He bore three names. They called him Vardhamana, because from the date he was conceived by Trishala; the wealth, power and prosperity of the kingdom were steadily improving. He was called Mahâvîra because he had subdued his external as well as his internal foes. He was also called Gnyataputra or Nagaputra, because he belonged to the Naga Dynasty.
From very early days of childhood, Lord Mahâvîra evinced extraordinary qualities which distinguished him later. As a young man, he was the most popular and intelligent amongst his companions and was their acknowledged leader. Once he was playing with his class-mates under a banyan tree. All were fully engrossed in the game. A black snake came out from the hollow of the tree. Everyone except Mahâvîra ran away in fear. He was so dauntless and courageous that he confronted it boldly. When the serpent attacked him, he stood still and clam. Suddenly he caught it by its tail and flung it away after rotating it violently in the sky. Thus he relieved his friends from fear.
