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PREFACE
The story of Bhagwan Mahaveer's life is well-known and generally agreed upon by scholars and followers of various sects of Jain religion with minor variations. It is described in Jain texts and many scholarly biographies of Mahaveer Swami are available in Hindi, Gujarati, English etc. Most of these biographies are in prose form. Episodic events of Mahaveer Swami's life have been described in poetic form in various Indian languages however, I am not aware of any such attempts in English language.
An abridged account of Bhagwan Mahaveer's life in a poetic form in English language is presented here. Only major events of his life have been included, most of which are universally accepted by followers of all sects of Jain religion. Where there are differences in the story between different sects, the story as told in Shwetamber tradition has been followed since I am mostly familiar with this tradition. To tell a coherent story, one has to make a choice. I hope this will not discourage others from enjoying the presentation.
I would like to thank Jainworld.com for making available the graphic arts depicting the life of Bhagawan Mahaveer. The primary source for the story used here is “Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami” by A. P. Jain (posted on www.jainsamaj.com).
Mukesh Chhajer
Danville, VA June 16, 2010
