Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth

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

Page 59

BHAGAVAN MAHAVIRA
PRESENT LIFE
51
This was a direct challenge to Indrabhuti's pride, but collecting himself somehow he said, “I shall discuss these with your Guru Let us go to him. Where is he ?" So they started, the old Brahmin leading, followed by Indrabhuti Gautama and his 500 disciples.
The time for Indrabhuti's attaining the right path was now near And the time for Bhagavan Mahavira's uttering the divine words was also ripe As he reached the proximity of the congregation hall, the hardness of his thought was replaced by tenderness As he looked at the pillar of pride at the gate of the hall, his pride melted away and his dark patches (tamah) were gone. He reached the hall in all humility, witnessed its pomp and grandeur and then saw inside seated the Tirthankara, Bhagavan Mahavira. He went on gazing at him without a break, and yet his eyes had no satiation Bhagavan Mahavira was seated in the vacuum, separated from the throne by a gap of two inches (four fingers) His calm and tranquil posture clearly reflected his inner state which was beyond any disturbance
As Bhagavan Mahavira sat wholly immersed in self, perhaps this posture might have suggested to Indrabhuti Gautama something like this; “Well, if you need bliss beyond the senses, and beatitude, why stare at me? Stare at thyself You yourself are a great soul (Paramatman) made of infinite knowledge and infinite bliss Till now, you have been busy in looking for these in others, so that you have never thought of turning to thy own self But now why look at me ? Look at thyself. One's own soul is the only object worth knowing, worth seeing Now, what this soul is cannot be explained it cannot be expressed in words This object, the soul, which is worth knowing, the only object worthy of knowledge, it can only be felt This soul which is worth feeling about is all knowledge and bliss So you take away your vision from all external objects, from their nature as also from disturbances in the soul, and fix this vision straight on thy soul Do it ! Do it ! Do it !
On receipt of this implicit inspiration, Indrabhuti Gautama also turned in ward, and when he came out, there was an unusual peace printed on his face Today he had realised something