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Pearls of Jaina Wisdom
Once when he sat in Kāyotsarga ( meditation ), his body unmoving, they cut his flesh, tore his hair and covered him with dirt. They picked him up and dropped him, disturbing his meditational postures. Absolutely not caring for the body, Mahāvīra bore all humiliations and pains ungrudgingly. Uncaring, the great Yogi proceeded on his path. Non-violence and Compassion
Every moment of the ascetic life of Mahāvīra was devoted to the practice of non-violence and compassion. When he went door to door begging for alms, he always cared that no person, animal or bird was disturbed. He avoided those houses where some other ascetics, Brāhmaṇas or other persons stood begging for alms so as not to disturb their livelihood. He never gave chance to foster hatred, enmity or aversion to anybody.
“With supreme knowledge, with supreme intuition, with supreme conduct, with supreme uprightness, with supreme valour, with supreme dexterity, with supreme patience, with supreme contentment, with supreme insight, the venerable one meditated for twelve and a half years in self contemplation and proceeded on the supreme path to that final liberation which is the fruit of truthfulness, restraint and good conduct” ( Kalpa-sūtra, 120 ).
Mahāvīra spent his whole time deeply thinking about the goal of human life and its problems. He contemplated upon crucial philosophical and metaphysical solutions to problems confronting the people at that time.
Mahävira was the most impressive and inspiring personality of his times. The scriptures refer to him as wise, sagacious and farsighted. We come across several epithets about him in scriptures :
Dakhe : He was very able and proficient. Dekhapainne : He was a person of firm determination. Bhaddaye : He was a simple and modest person. Viniye : He was a humble person.
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