Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

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K. M. PATEL
own hair, one can hardly hope to liberate himself from the clutches of the body or the karmic bondage.
For a period of twelve years following this renunciation, he kept himself engaged in meditation and penance. His penances testify to his self-control. Only then he embarked on the task of propagating his preachings. Lord Mahāvīra thus sets the example that self-knowledge and self-control must precede any project of helping the people and exposes the empty sloganmongering of the present day politicians, social workers and religious leaders. Hardly any thing can be achieved even if one ignoramus succeeds in winning over a thousand ignoramuses for social welfare or religious uplift. The Jains as well as the nonJains must learn that no public work can be worth the effort if the leader is not qualified to lead his adherents.
Lord Mahavira thus spent twelve years in qualifying himself for the task he wanted to undertake and for thirty more years he pursued it. He planned for the success of his mission ensuring its stability and permanence. He divided his followers into the Sravakas-both male and female-who maintained themselves by lawful means and could sacrifice little, and the Sadhus, both male and female, who would be initiated and expected to sacrifice more. He organised the latter into a group, the sangha and designated eleven sangha leaders, to be known as 'Ganadharas'. They taught, according to tradition 4,200 monks without taking account of the lay followers, whose numbers increased with the years. This establishment of a new religious order was perfected within thirty years, in the times when modern means of communication, such as the rail or the air transport or the telegraph or the telephone could not even be dreamed of. This bears the testimony to Lord Mahavira's enthusiasm, diligence endurance, knowledge, valour and impressiveness.
Lord Mahavira first taught in Magadha. He would move about on foot, curing the people of their dogmatic and superstitious beliefs and winning them over to the path of knowledge. He battled with temptations, doubt, ignorance, misunderstanding