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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
Unprecedented, Unique, Wonderful and Severe Austerities of Mahavíra
All over the world, Jaina religion is well known as a religion of austerin And Tirthankara Mahavira is famous for his long and severe austerities. How was his austere life? How did he endure biting cold and burning sun? H. were the places where he halted or dwelt ? How did he walk ? What type of calamities and afflictions from cruel men and wild animals did he endure while passing through dense, dreadful forests?
Mulnayak Mahavirswami
Nandiya Tirth
The oldest Jaina canonical work, entitled Acharangasutra, draws vivid pictures of Tirthankara Mahavira's practice of austerities. It describes events which illustrate his unique heroism exhibited in his victory over terrible situations and calamities that arose before him. Let us have a glimpse into his austere ascetic life embodied in the words of Acharangasutra.
Venerable Sudharmaswami relates :
"O Long-lived Jambu ! I present before you the description of Tirthankara Mahavira's austerities as I myself have heard about them. In severe cold, Tirthankara Mahavira made great spiritual efforts, realised the miseries of worldly existence, renounced the world and took the vow of asceticism. And on that very day, which was the day of the season of severe cold, he left the city and went on tour.
He was determined not to cover his body with any cloth, even in biting cold.
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