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Life of Lord Mahāvīra
him. As he was devoid of love and hate, he was called śramana."
In person, Mahāvira seems to have been handsome and impressive. He was clever and was possessed of a very keen intellect.2 The Kalpa Sutras mentions that from his very birth, he possessed 'supreme, unlimited and unimpeded knowledge and intuition.' We may assume that he received the usual education and training of a Kshatriya aristocrat in literature and philosophy, in military and administrative sciences, and in music and fine arts. LIFE OF A HOUSEHOLDER
On the question of Mahāvīra's marriage, there is a fundamental difference of detail between the Digambara and the Svetāmbara accounts. The Digambara works4 deny the fact of Mahāvīra's marriage. On the other hand, in the Svetāmbara accounts, there is an allusion to his marriage. In his youth, Mahāvīra was, however, given to contemplation and had begun to entertain plans of renunciation. His parents tried to solve the problem by marrying him off to a beautiful young woman, Yasodā, a Kshatriya lady of Kauņdinya Gotra, who soon presented him with a daughter named Anoijā. Anojjā was married to Jamali, a Kshatriya, who after becoming Mahāvīra's follower created a schism. Mahāvíra's grand daughter, who belonged to the Kausika Gotra, had two names : Seshavati and Yasovati.
Malāvsra's paternal uncle was Supārsva. His elder brother was Nandivardhana and his elder sister Sudarsanā. His parents died when he was thirty years old. Aficrwards, his clder brother, Nandivardhana, succeeded his father. With the permission of his brother and other authorities, he carried out his long cherished resolve and became a monk with the usual rites. The Digambara works do not mention the names 1. Kalpa, 120; Achā, II, 15. 15. .. Ibid., 110, 3. Ibid. 119. 4. Padmapurāsa, 23, 67; Hariransatori;3. 60, 211; Tiltagasi, 4,
670 etc, 5. Achu. II. 15, 15; Kalsa, 10). 6. Kolpa. 110,
