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turmoil. And then our speech is not in tune with the body and mind, so it creates dichotomy. In this dichotomy we don't know what or why we are speaking, but the words keep popping out.
Vardhaman worked with himself and he made life a laboratory. His whole philosophy is about the internal search. For 127/2 years he used this laboratory for inner research, and what he found is called kaivalya - pure knowledge. He became omniscient. He knew himself completely. Keval means complete, free from limitation. Nothing remained to be known. When we don't know ourself, we want to know many things, but when we know ourself, nothing is left to be known. His research of 121/2 years ultimately brought him to that state of completion where all his desire to know was fulfilled. He knew, "I am where I am. I am God, I am Divine. It is here." In that moment all the joy of spirit opened into fullness and he experienced the unlimited life.
Mahavira fasted because it purifies the senses, clears away the dirt which is covering them. But fasting should not be used to reduce the body to nothingness; we have to fast with balance. If the strings of a sitar are very tight, the tone is harsh. If they are very loose, then you don't have any sweetness in the music. Our body is like a sitar, you have to tune it properly. If you fast too much, life becomes harsh and you become cranky. If a person uses sensual pleasure too much, his life is diluted and he or she becomes a house of disease. That is why one has to
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