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however is to be found the Viŝeṣāvasyaka-bhaṣya of Jinabhadragani. 10 But detailed and enthusiastic poetic description of the incident is to be found in Mahavira Cariya, Trisaşți and some other works.
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Vardhamana Mahavira grew into a handsome youth. It was but natural that eminent kings in the area having daughters eligible for marriage should have approached the parents of Mahavira requesting them to consider their daughter for marriage to their son. But nothing is certain about the marriage of Vardhamana Mahavira. Svetambara and Digambara traditions are not agreed on this question of the marriage of Mahavira. Svētambara works would like to say that Mahavira married a beautiful girl called Yasoda and he had a daughter called Priyadarsana. Acaranga and Kalpa sutra do not give a description of his marriage but mention the name of his wife as Yasoda and daughter as Priyadarsana. 11 There is the mention of his marriage in the Viseṣavasyaka-Bhāṣya,12 Mahavira Cariyam,13 and Triśaști 14 But the Digambara tradition does not accept the view that Mahaviru was married. It maintains that he took to renunciation when he was bachelor only. He did not accept the proposal for marriage, as he was inclined towards leading the ascetic life and he thought the marriage would hamper his future plans. He sought the permission of his parents to remain unmarried. Acārya Jinasena mentions the fact that Raja Jitasatru had approached the parents of Mahavira and offered his daughter to Mahavira. But Mahavira politely refused We have already referred in the last chapter that some of the Digambara and Svetambara texts also refer to the five tirthankaras: Vasupujya, Malli, Arişṭanēmi, Parsva and Mahavira took into the vow of an ascetic in their Kumaravasta. 15 And Kumarāvasta could be interpreted as bachelorhood, although attempts have been made to give different interpretations.
Mahavira with his extreme sense of detachment towards the secular life, was craving for the spiritual life. He wanted to take to renunciation. He asked permission of his parents for his taking the vow of sanyasa But the parents asked him to wait for some days so that they would make up their minds and fortify themselves for the inevitable. His parents died when Mahavira was 28 years of
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