Portrait of Jain Religion

Author(s): Narendra Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 53

Republic. The royal family were devotees of Jain (then called SHRAMANA) religion and followers of the 23rd Jain Tirthankar Parshvanath. This left a deep impact on Mahavir’s perceptions in the course of his upbringing. His birth marked a period of prosperity for the kingdom, and hence he was named as VARDHAMAN. Right from his early childhood, he displayed signs of great courage and fearlessness. Later during his penance as an ascetic, he wandered alone in the forests. Jain scriptures narrate several encounters with cruel men as well as beasts to illustrate his fearlessness. This earned him the name of MAHAVIR. His family name was Jnataputra. Buddhist scriptures refer to him as Nataputa, Nayaputta and Nirgrantha. Digambar holy texts also call him Sanmati signaling his inborn wisdom and equanimity. During his over 12 years long penance and Sadhana, the intense and dedicated practice of SAMYA YOGA, the yoga of equanimity was pursued by him. Jain sciptures vividly describe significant details of his previous 26 life incarnations in the ongoing cycle of birth and death in human or animal forms in the course of which he went on steadily moving towards detachment from karmic bondages. It is said that in one of his early births, he was Marich, the grandson of the first Jain Tirthankar Rishabhnath. His divine potential was signaled in the form of 14 (shwetambar tradition) or 16 (digambar tradition) auspicious dreams his mother had when she conceived him. Jain tradition has associated such dreams with the birth of all the Tirthankars. The highly auspicious dreams were forerunners of the birth of a child with divine moorings. Although Mahavir grew up surrounded by all trappings of royal comforts and palace luxuries, instinctively he felt the urge for gradual detachment. The digambar tradition maintains that he did not marry at all, while according to shwetambar tradition he married Princess Yashodhara and had a daughter named Priyadarshini. After the passing away of his parents, he was all
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A Portrait of Jain Religion