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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
an ascetic under the leadership of Mahavira. Many men and women made their lives spiritual practising the noble principles of non-violence, truth, renunciation and friendship.
The venerable Mahavira left Rajagruhi and went to Videha, where Rushabhadatta Brahmana, a resident of Brahmanakundagrama, and his wife Devananda, went to pay their respects to him. On seeing Mahavira, Devananda experienced motherly affection for Mahavira. Mahavira explained to her why she was experiencing motherly love for him. On hearing the story from Mahavira, Rushabhadatta and Devananda took the vow of asceticism.
Mahavira thus wandered from place to place to propagate and propound the principles of universal love, truth and renunciation.
Mahavira once went to a barbaric country to propagate his message of love and friendship. But he was met with much hatred and violence. The people set hounds after him, threw stones at him and pierced spears into his body. Despite this, Mahavira remained calm and unagitated. For Mahavira, it was a real test to see whether he could maintain his equanimity amidst violence and hatred.
Mahavira's message of love, truth, peace and the glory of the human birth spread far and wide. He said, "However great a god may be and however pleasant his heaven may be, he is not greater than man. No one is greater than man. Liberation can be attained through the human body only. Gods, by nature, lack self-restraint. So, it is not possible for them to attain the supreme state of liberation directly from their state of godhood. It is only man who can fully develop his spiritual powers and attain perfection. This is the glory of man. A man who does not know the immense spiritual value of the human existence, and wastes it in the pursuit of pleasures or in the acquisition of worldly possessions, is like a person who burns precious jewels to ashes. If a man remains truly humane and cultivates humanity, even the gods will fall at his feet. He should cultivate the qualities of love and compassion. Each and every man can become great by his thoughts, actions and efforts. Man is not required to take birth in a high caste or a wealthy family to achieve greatness. A great person is one who has noble thoughts and does noble deeds, and a low person is one who has un wholesome thoughts and does unwholesome actions. The greatness of a man is based on and determined by his noble and cultured thoughts and deeds.
Mahavira further said, “O friends, it is quite wrong to maintain that practice of good conduct and spiritual discipline is prescribed for ascetics only, while householders are free to indulge in sensual pleasures. Even a householder should observe his vows. A monk fully observes the vows, while a householder observes them partially according to his capacity. A monk should build his noble character by the observance of the five great vows while a householder should build his good character by the observance of the twelve vows -- the five minor vows, the three supporting vows and the four vows of rituals. If a householder is unable to take all the twelve vows, he can adopt as many as he is able to observe. Thus, even householders, who are not qualified for monastic discipline, can make their lives fruitful by observing some spiritual discipline. If a man 134
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