________________
१०० :
श्रमण/अक्टूबर-दिसम्बर/ १९९६
X. OTHER SPIRITUAL PRACTICES (PENANCES)
Observing the external penances (like fasting) undertaken by Lord Mahāvīra, very often people say that Lord Mahāvīra performed these penances only to torture his body. But when we observe the vigilance, self-contemplation and other practices of Lord Mahāvīra the above doubt is cleared. His body was not an hindrance to his spiritual practices, so why should he have tortured his body? He was so engrossed in meditation that the requirements of the body became secondary. Only a person whose conscious is unawakened, experiences the external pains and afflictions. But Lord Mahāvīra had risen above it and his concentration was fixed on the inner-self and not on the external body. When the mind is deeply engrossed in contemplation it does not yield to temptation. So Lord Mahāvīra never experienced what his body was subjected to due to deep-rooted meditation and other spiritual practices. The body of Lord Mahāvīra was subjected to hunger, thirst, heat, cold and other hardships, but the mind that experiences them was engrossed in self contemplation and so he never experienced these afflictions. In the absence of the mind even the senses fail to reach out to those experiences on their own.
Thus, two aspects of the spiritual practices of Lord Mahāvīra are brought to light (1) Samadhi Preksā i.e. self analysis and (2) Apratigya i.e. he could do as much penances as was possible but alongwith that he would constantly review the progress in his spiritual practices and was always alert and watchful. Such was the Sādhanā Mārga (spiritual Path) shown by Lord Mahāvīra which will bring light and enlightenment to the Humanity for centuries to come.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
