Tirthankar Mahavir

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

Page 53

Acharya Shri Kailassagarsun Gyanmandir
How extraordinary brotherly love!
Vardhamana had great love and affection for all the members of the family. But his mind was very much troubled by the fundamental problems of life. He thought : "Man runs after happiness but the means he employs to attain it lead him to misery. Wars are fought for capturing royal power Innumerable men are killed in wars. Wars cause destruction of life, crop and live-stock. Wars ma villages deserted and disrupt trade. Man accumulates wealth to be happy. He thinks that wealth bri happiness. So he amasses wealth by cheating, by fraud or by looting, or by exploiting the poor. Those who accumulate wealth by immoral, unjust and cruel acts lose their peace of mind. Man may seem outwardly happy but inwardly he is miserable. He is afflicted with sufferings, sorrows, mental distresses, physical pains, diseases, dangers, humiliations, privations and disappointments. He right up to the end of his life, plays into the hands of his internal enemies like attachment, avarice, lust and temptations. For him knowledge is simply an instrument to be used in worthless debates. Woman is regarded as a means of satisfying man's lust. Tortures inflicted on the low-caste are endless." He recognised the world as a large cauldron in which living beings were burning with pain, desires and various other miseries. This made Vardhamana more contemplative. He wanted to end miseries for all beings. He pondered as to how that could be achieved. He could hear the loud cry of beings beseeching him to save them from worldly strife, distress and misery. The cry inspired him to be their savior. It urged him to awaken slumbering man. Vardhamana's parents were aging. Their bodies were
completely disabled by old age. So they made arrangement for their
last journey (death). They took leave of their beloved ones. They
gave last salutary advice to their sons and daughter. They
explained the inevitability of death and asked them not to grieve
over their death. They confessed their sins and
repented for them. Thus they made their
souls pure.
Malnayak Maharani Osiaji Tirth, Raj