________________
said in the Bhagavadgita, "AHİ HASRI " (Among months I am the month of Madhu, the month of Chaitra.) It was on the eighth day of the dark half of this month of Chaitra that Bhagwan Rishabhadeva was born. Under the constellation Hastottara at midnight on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the month Chairta, Vardhaman was born.
56 celestial maidens joined the celebration of this birth. 64 Indras performed the infant's ablution with holy water. Even when he was a child, Mahavir was brave and knew no fear. When he saw seven, Vardhaman was once playing with children the game of ambali-pipali among the branches of a tree. At that time a snake coiled itself round the trunk of the tree. The children on the ground took to their heels. Those on the tree clung to the branches, trembling out of fear. But Vardhaman's mind knew no fear. He was not at all afraid of the snake. He caught the snake at its tail-end, shook it and threw off. The second lesson that Vardhaman teaches is that of fearlessness intrepidity. Without fearlessness, there cannot be spiritual development. All frighten him who fears. Nobody can stand up to a man who is fearless.
In order to test Vardhaman's fearlessness one god took the form of a nauseating person. When he was eight, Vardhaman was playing with other children on the outskirts of the city. The rule of the game was
that the winner winner would sit on the back of the boy, who had lost the game. The god assumed the form of a child, came to play there and according to his own plan he lost the game. He let Vardhaman sit on back. But all of a sudden he transformed himself into a giant as tall as seven palm-trees. The god uttered sharp loud shrieks. A mass of matted hair shot out of his head. His eyes became flaming red. Other children ran away out of fear. But there was no fear in Vardhaman's eyes nor did he show any other sign, not even a tremor. He was tranquil as if majestically riding an elephant. He so struck the god's shoulder with his first that the god cried out in pain. He gave up his hideous form of a giant and became a small child. Here, the whole city was full of fears, not simply because Vardhaman was the prince of King Siddhartha, but because people loved him so much. All saw Vardhaman returning safely, and heaved a sigh of relief. He was sitting on the god's shoulder. Some ran forward to beat up the god.
Vardhaman said to them, "No, he should not be beaten. It is the greatest punishment to an evil-doer if he repents of what he has done. Who are we to punish him? So, forgive him and let him go."
All obeyed Vardhaman. Now his little adventure was over and the god departed. At the time the god said, "The great god Indra admired your intrepidity
di Novels
