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2. Life of Mahāvīra : Birth and Boyhood The biography of Mahāvira found in Jaina literature may be presented thus in short. Mahāvira was born in a royal family of Ksatriyas. His father was Siddhārtha and his mother, Priyakāriņi. Sidhārtha's gotra was Kāśyapa, and the paternal gotra of Trisalā is mentioned as Vašiştha. Trišalā was the eldest daughter (and according to another tradition, sister) of king Cetaka of Vaiśālī.“ Mahāvīra spent his childhood and boyhood in such caresses and taking such education as was common in contemporary royal families. Among his sports of boyhood, there is even a traditional story that he brought under control a terrific serpent. Consequently and symbolic of this feat of bravery, he got the title Mahāvīra and Vira-nātha. This episode reminds one of Krsna overpowering the serpent Kāliya.
3. Mahāvīra's Penances Mahāvīra accepted renunciation at the age of thirty. It means that he left home, retired to the park, Jñātrkhanda-vana, close to Kundapura, and relinquished his ornaments and clothes. He pulled out his hair by his hands, observed fast for three days, and then plunged himself into meditation. After some time, he started touring various parts of the country. He lived in gardens and parks; but, as required by the rules of his vows and fasts, he entered a town or a village once in a day and accepted the food offered to him. In a standing or squatting posture, and with his eyes fixed on the tip of nose, he spent his time in meditation and in reflecting on the ātman and in cultivating the attitude of equanimity towards one and all. His routine involved not even a trace of violence to living beings, not to deprive others of even a blade of grass belonging to them, not to speak lie even remotely, not to
6 Mahāpurāņa (Sanskrit) 74, 288-95. Mahāpurāņu (Apabhramsa) 96, 10, 10-15. Bhagavata-purăna, dasama-skandha.
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