Mahavira His Life and Teachings

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

Page 26

LIFE
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Ksatriya teacher and leader of thought who gathered unto him many men and women, and was honoured and worshipped by many hundreds and thousands of śrāvakas or lay disciples. He belonged to the Kāśyapa gotra and shone forth as the moon of the clan of the Nāyas or Jñātss. He was the son of Ksatriya Siddhartha who is otherwise named Sreyārsa and Yasamsa and of Ksatriyāni Trišala, also known as Videhadattā and Priyakāriņi of the Vasistha gotra. His mother was a sister to Cetaka of Videha, at whose call all the Licchavis and Mallas rallied together for the purpose of offence and defence.
His parents who belonged to the Jñātr Ksatriyas were lay worshippers of Pārsva. They were pious, chaste in life, and virtuous, and cherished a very tender regard for all the six classes of living beings (cha jīva-nikāyā). Following the teaching of Pārsva, they peacefully died by the practice of slow starvation of the senses.
He was born in the town of Kundanagara, a suburb of Vaiśālī and an important seat of the Jñātrkas. He was therefore called Vesālie (Vaišālika), a citizen of Vaiśāli. On the day of his birth the prisoners in Kuņdanagara were released.
1 Satrakritānga, 1. 2. 3. 22.