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APPENDIX 7
Shalishirsha Katputna Vyantari (goblins)
Year 6 Place Kupika Sannivesha Type Beating and arrest Year Place Lohargala Type ) Detention Year 29 Place The Vajra Shuddha
Bhumi of the LadhaRadha region known
as Anaryan. Type Ordeal from men Year
11 The Polas Chaitya of Pedhala Gam of
Dridha Type 20 ordeals from
Samgam-hanging at
Tosli etc. Year 13 Place Shanmani Type Hammering the thick
grass spikes in the ears by the cowherds and their removal
Place
THE YEAR, THE PLACE AND THE NATURE OF THE
ORDAELS OF BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA Note - He who wants to reveal Truth to humanity must attain supreme abstract knowledge as Truth cannot be revealed without it. Without spiritual refinement the great light of knowledge enveloped by (evil) actions cannot be revealed. That such refinement cannot be achieved without self-control and rigorous practice is an unchallenged fact. This is why great men born to be Tirthankaras (saviours) give up at the right time the life of a house holder i.e. the house, the home, the family and all other objects and accept the vow of lifelong self-control so that all sinful activities may completely cease. Mostly they remain nude, observe silence, remain indifferent to cold and heat, move from place to place and from forest to forest. They remain in different to physical necessities and practise the aphorism - "pain to the body is gain of the soul." None is redeemed nor can be redeemed without self-control and penance. With this eternal truth in their hearts they remain engrossed in practice, give up sleep and rest. While wandering they mostly remain engrossed in different techniques of meditation in Kayotsarga Mudra (a particular posture for physical steadiness). Standing on one leg at a lonely place in Chaityas, holy places, gardens and parks. Thus, maintaining steady equanimity they go on destroying the Karmas born out of the previous births. In order to annihilate the actions completely Bhagavan Mahavira makes the practice more and more rigorous. He who has refrained from violence falsehood, stealing, sex and acquisition etc. remains alert mentally, verbally and physically so that he can keep com pletely detached from gross desires and impurities such as anger etc. Such souls bravely forbear all hardships, mise. ries, insults, discomforts and various sufferings. During the course of practice they welcome with a smiling face and without the least sense of revenge and opposition all ordeals, and infestations from demons, gods, human beings, animals and birds and thus they remove completely the veil of actions which are against spiritual qualities, reach the state above attachment and attain the supreme light of absolute enlightenment and then feel a sense of satisfaction and then through the light of their enlightenment they preach about the royal path of happiness, peace and bliss to the world,
The Pola
• The release of fatal energy (Tejoleshya) by Goshalaka was also an ordeal but Bhagavan Mahavira had already reached the state of absolute enlightenment by then. This event is noted only as a miracle. • The ordeals had started with a cowherd and also ended
with the cowherd, started with a human being and ended with a human being. The place, the time and the reasons also happened to be the same. Great ordeals have occur. red after the evening and it was quite natural. • The bones of the joints of Bhagavan Mahavira were
exceptionally strong. (Vajra Rishabha Naracha Sanghayana) The scriptures describe six types of the bones
according to the different ages for all beings. • The bones of the beings of the present age are the
weakest. • He had done the practice of meditation for twelve and a half years mostly while standing constantly day and night. During these twelve and a half years he slept only for forty-eight minutes. This is really a stupendous penance!
Bhagavan Mahavira had received the enlightenment through the same path. Here are noted the details about the types of ordeals, the perpetrators of the ordeals viz, the demons, gods and men during the practice for realising the enlightenment.
Year Place Type
Kumar Gam Impending attack by cowherds
Asthika Gam From Shoolapani
Year) Place Type /
Near Uttar Vachala Chanda Kaushika the serpent rushing to bite
Surabhipur From god Sudanshtra
Chorak Dipping in the well
Year) Place Type Year Place Type
Kalambuka Tied with rope and bitten
35. The subodhika commentary of Kalpasutra mentions the removal of the
spikes as the gravest ordeal, though the removal of the spikes is in reality not a form of ordeal but the removal of the spikes being more painful it is shown as the ordeal
The Chaupanna Chariyam mentions that Bhagavan Mahavira was standing in the Kausagga (Kayotsarga) Ponture of meditation and that the spikes were tied to strong threads which were again tied to the bent branches of trees by the physician who released the branches so that the spikes came out of the ears
- Some interpret the word 'Shoola' for a wooden spike as Shoola shalaka i.e. big iron nails and print picture showing such nails being struck with hammers, but this is not proper. The spikes were like nails but made from hard 'Kasha' grass with sharp ends
Harassment in the Anarya region of Ladha-Radha
34 The book Chaupanna Charium states that the harassment was from Asthika
the king of the kobras
नाद रहित हींकार
42
BV
SO
by 96 HET
90.
99. HEUTETT
92.
93. Atea
9X ST
94.
&
103
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