Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth

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

Page 51

BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA
PRESENT LIFE
The world tried to win over him, but he was already won by the soul and so all the efforts of the world failed. The Call of Youth cast snares at him, but they went in vain The affection of the parents tried to prevent him but even the torrents of the mother's tears could not sweep him away Who can find one who has cut the tie of attachment ? Relations and household people tried to dissuade him, but he had no more attachment for the home
One day pensive Vardhamana tried to look into his past lives and he at once developed a long memory. Many of his past lives were revealed to him and he could see them as he could a berry on his palm This raised his detachment to its full. He decided to give up the household and go out as a nude monk in quest of the soul
When his parents, relations and members of the household came to know of this, they made many efforts to dissuade him, but the tie of his attachment was wholly gone without which to one could be tied to the household. His detachment had not been inspired by any outside agency, it was inherent and instinctive, because it came from within So it was not possible to stop him, and there was no reason for it.
He did not intend to become a monk to imitate others. In fact, he did not intend to become a monk at all, but monkhood had come to him His mind did not wake up to make him a worldly creature, but it woke for self realisation He did not suppress his desires to be in keeping with time and place In fact, he did not want to repress them at all, but they had already faded.
It is futile to look for the cause of his becoming a monk in the then situation His detachment was independent of any external factor A detachment which depends on the external factor comes to an end as soon as the external factor changes.
Having known his determination, the Lokantika gods arrived and congratulated him, paid him homage and expressed their devotion The whole arrangement of his initiation into monk