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Universal Message of Lord Mahāvīra
His wanderings can be interpreted at so many dimensions and levels - because it satisfies the queries at all those levels.
It was an era dominated by the caste system, when the common man was in awe of the Brahmanical priests, accepting blindly their monopoly and superiority, when Vedic injunctions were followed fearfully, when animal sacrifices were justified for the fruition of the Yajñas, when the Sūdras and the women were treated as unequal and inferior, when religion was manipulated for the purpose of power and dominion. It was an era that saw the vision of the ancient seers and Rșis being suppressed by the power grabbing leaders who were editing and presenting their own selfish interpretations of religion. In such a scenario of political unrest and religious disorder, there was a need for a code of conduct incorporated in a vision of peace and non-violence. Such a vision arose in the form of Lord Mahāvīra - a seer of truth, a fountain of compassion, a life of seeking and self-realizing.
This spiritual path, which he walked upon, had been sanctified by twenty-three Tîrtharkaras before him, the first of whom was Lord Rșabhadeva and the twenty-third was Lord Pārsva.? This article will explore the social vision and religious insights of the great teacher through his geographical wanderings.
The journey begins at Kundgrāma, a splendid city in the heart of Vaishali kingdom near modern Patna in 599 B.C. Born to King Siddhārtha and Queen Triślā, this divine child was named Vardhamāna. At birth itself, he was endowed with Śruta-jñāna (knowledge of testimony), Mati-jñāna (knowledge derived through the sense organ's and the mind) and Avadhi-jñāna (clairvoyance). The presence of these three kinds of knowledge at birth is a remarkable feature of a Tīrthankara.
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