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A Reflection on the Life of Tirthankara Malāvīra
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rendered a great service to humanity, having known that paramātmā is in all beings.
As it is very hard to attain Tirthankaraship, so it is harder and more difficult to impart holy teachings to the people in religion. The study of the life of Mahāvīra slows that if the spiritual power dawns on the ascetic life of a monk and commands him to preach religion, then it is possible to do so. Mahāvira attained Kevalajñana and Kevaladarśaņa by observing serve austerities and meditation ; so he could instruct the people in religion 34 like Nārada, Sukadeva, Lord Buddha and other Indian holy Divines. Nobody will listen to the holy teachings of any preacher of religion who is not endowed with the spiritual power. The people are generally emotional, they may attend any religious congregation in lakhs, but they will forget very soon the teachings of the man devoid of spiritual knowledge and power.
If paramātmā manifests itself in and through Jivātmā (finite soul) and converses with it, then only there will be the manifestation of divine power. There is force in it. Here lectures of the hired logicians and the so-called intellectuals devoid of spiritual power are useless. For some days the people will hear them, then they will forget them very quickly. They will not act according to the speech delivered by the so-called preachers of religion. But in the case of Tirthankara Mahāvira endowed with spiritual knowledge and power it is observed that lakhs of people were attracted by his religious discourses35 in his time and they accepted Sramanadharma 36 in latter and spirit. Without the possession of spiritual knowledge and power nobody can preach religion and teach the people in it. The preacher will be a laughing stock, if he is devoid of spiritual power. How could the person who himself did not attain any spiritual knowledge and power teach others in religion ? This will be like the showing of path by one blind man to another blind man for advancing forward, if he does so. If the realization of spiritual power takes place in anyone, the inner spiritual vision opens up in him automatically. Without this power, if any body imparts the religious teachings to the people, pride arises in his mind that "I am teaching the people". This pride occurs due to ignorance. In ignorance it appears to him. "I am the subject." But really paramātmā or enlightened soul is the subject. It has done everything, "I am not doing anything'. If this sense arises in a man, he becomes Jivanmukta. Kevalin Mahāvīra was Jivanmuktas (free in this worldly life) after the attainment of his Kevalajñāna and Keveladarśana. He acquired these great qualities, so he taught religion to the people with his spiritual power in his time.
The world is big enough. How can one render service to the world without spiritual power, as it is not small, First he should realize the spiritual power in himself by observing austerity and meditation. If he can attain it, then only he can do good to the world, otherwise not. Until and unless the worldly business becomes less and less one forgets the spiritual aspect of life and he may think. “I am doing nişkāma karma (desireless work)." But it becomes sakāmā karma (work with a desire), as he gets involved in Karma and awnts to be respected. Nişkāma karma is very difficult to be performed with
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