Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth

Author(s): Hukamchand Bharilla, K C Lalwani
Publisher: Kundkund Kahan Digambar Jain Trust

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TIRTHANKARA MAHAVIRA AND HIS SARVODAYA TIRTHA
the same manner, mother Trisala gave birth to a powerful son Seeing him grow every day, a worthy name which suggested itself for him was Vardhamana
and
His birth ceremony was celebrated with great pomp grandeur not only by the near and dear ones and the members of the royal household but in all the states of the confederacy. On the occasion, Indra and other gods came down at the palace door to celebrate the birth which is called janma-kalyāṇaka Indra placed the child on his elephant and took him to the Sumeru Mountain There he was seated on a Panduka slab and anointed with water fetched from the Ksıra Ocean, of which an elaborated description is available in the Jaina Purāṇas
The boy Vardhamana was by birth healthy and graceful and had an attractive personality. As he grew up like the moon from the second day of the bright half of the month, he proved the worth of his name as Vardhamana. The golden tinge of his body which brightened the environment used to attract everybody To drink at his beauty, Indra, the king of the gods, took a thousand eyes
He had the knowledge of the self, he was considerate, with a developed conscience and fearless. He had never learnt to be afraid. He was the very embodiment of bravery So from his childhood, he was called Vira, Ativira, a hero, a great hero Since he had the knowledge of the self, he was also called Sanmati Famous were his five names, which are as follows: Vira, Ativira, Mahavira, Sanmati and Vardhamana
Once an elephant got infuriated and having broken the post to which he was tied, he started creating havoc in the whole city. The city was in turmoil and people started running amock. The roar of the elephant thundered at the sky Even the most highly trained elephant drivers failed to capture him and bring him under control Even the great heroes were unable to restrain him. So it was apparent that if he could not be checked soon, there would be a great loss of life and property But by his words and physical strength, prince Vardhamana soon tamed him and removed his fury. This surprised everybody They said, "Your bravery is praiseworthy."