Mahavira His Life and Teachings

Author(s): Bimla Charn Law
Publisher: Luzac and Co UK

Page 16

LIFE
trine invests man with moral responsibility for all his deeds. One of the texts refers to limited knowledge (antavanta jñāņa) as propounded by Mahāvīra 'The knowledge which comprehends the limited world is itself limited in its character'i The Pāli antavanta jñāna is evidently the same term as the Jaina avadhijñāna.
The Nirgrantha argument of the practice of penance or austerity is clearly set forth ‘Beatitude cannot be reached through mundane happiness. It is attainable through the mortification of the flesh. Had it been possible to reach beatitude through mundane happiness, king Srenika Bimbisára of Magadha would certainly have attained it.'? We are told that according to Mahãvira, the practice of penance involved three kinds of danda or self-inflicted punishment bodily, vocal, and mental, the first kind far outweighing the last two in gravity and importance 8 A concrete example of the penance practised by the Nirgran
1 Anguttara, IV', p 428 antavantena ñanena antavantam lokam jūnam passam
2 Majjhima, I, P 93 Na sukhena sukham adhigantabbam dukkhena kho sukham adhigantabbam sukhena ca sukham adhigantabbam abhavissa, rājā Māgadho Seniyo Bimbisāro sukham adhigaccheyya.
8 Majjhima, I, p 372