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
In this manner, Tirthankara Bhagavan Mahavira went on wondering and delivering sermons all over India for about 30 years As many of these wanderings took place in a certain region, it has come to be called Bihar, which is a State in the Indian Union. Quite a few cities in this legion took their names from him The districts of Vardhamana and Birbhum in West Bengal are also named after him. The town of Singhabhumi is named after his emblem.
Wherever he went, he delivered his sermons thrice-morning, midday and evening, for six hours at a time Just as with sunrise the darkness of the night goes, in the same manner, the perversions and darkness of ignorance began to disappear by his divine sermons.
Wherever he went and spoke, everybody, from the king to the commoner, was inspired, and thousands became his admirers or followers. Thousands acquired right knowledge everyday and hundreds accepted the vows so that the whole environment was charged with spirituality
On account of the influence of his sermons, the whole country acquired a non-violent environment. Violence, pomp, guru-dom and devilry were wiped out. Although he spoke on the serious things and explained their significance, yet everybody heard his words in his own language. His sermons were called the divine voice
The divine voice while announcing the inherent independence also propagated a path of self-reliance in the categories for acquiring full independence. Self-reliance means a concentration on one's pure soul as distinguished from others Independence can be acquired only through one's own effort. Eternal bliss and independence cannot be a gift, nor can these be acquired with another's strength
What came out in the words of Bhagavan Mahavira was no new truth Truth is truth, it cannot be old or new. What was said was permanent, eternally true He did not create truth, but simply revealed it.