Tirthankar Mahavir

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Jaybhikkhu Sahitya Trust

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The third Vrat advocated by Mahavira is asteya meaning nonstealing or abjuring stealing of any kind. One should not accept anything that one has not earned or deserved and should not be a party to any such deal. Anything that does not rightfully belong to us must not be touched or accepted. Today we witness a spectacle in which people grab everything and anything that does not rightfully belong to them. Modern man has become avaricious - avarice is the besetting sin of the present society leading to so many other evils. If the vow of asteya is practised, India will be the envy of the world.
The fourth vrat preached by Mahavira is brahmacharya (celibacy). Carnal desire is the root cause of all the evils, he said. A river has two banks to control its flow; similarly human beings must also exercise restraint and control their desires.
Permissiveness has done great harm to the existing society and it is there for all to see and hence the need for restraint (nigraha). The key to happiness and peace lies in it, asserted Mahavira. Free reign to desires, especially carnal desires, has led the society to the brink of disaster with deadly diseases like AIDS spreading their tentacles and jeopardising the lives of many. Hence the watchword is 'restraint'.
The fifth vrata is aparigraha (non-possessiveness). Possessive instinct leads to sinning. Everyone is in hot pursuit of things; the desire to possess dominates and in the mad race all sorts of sins and undesirable acts are committed
Mahavira expressed his views emphatically and courageously and freed people from the tyranny of a coterie which imposed its views on others. He also liberated people from violence and mental slavery. He broke down the barriers of class-system and removed the distinctions based on caste or creed. All are equal, he averred and everyone is entitled to moksha (salvation), irrespective of caste, gender, age or status. He was instrumental in Chandanbala becoming the first sadhvi (a nun of the svetambara or sthanakvasi sect). Anybody can be great provided he/she practises truth and love and has humanitarian outlook. Greatness has nothing to do with birth, caste or status. Live and let live, he said and preached peaceful coexistence.
Kshatriyas were engaged in fratricidal wars in those days. Violence was rampant and vices had a field day. At that time Mahavira's message
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