Walk With Me

Author(s): Chandanaji Acharya, Vastupal Parikh
Publisher: Veerayatan

Page 92

Walk With Me
Bhagwan Mahavir strongly resists such discrimination. He has welcomed everyone warmly and has given men and women, young and old, the same love and dignity. In fact, he has ordained several low-caste people such as Harikeshmuni (4), Kiratmuni, and Arjunmuni.
Within a few days after his enlightenment Mahavir dared to ordain both men and women. Wasn't that a bold, revolutionary step in a culture where Manu has effectively turned women into the 'objects of enjoyment and abuse'? Mahavir honored them all by appointing Ajja Chandana as the leader of a large group of sadhvis.
His limitless compassion includes even animals and plants. Maharaja Nandivardhan told me that even as a child, little Vardhaman "Total ahimsa should loved animals so much that he would get be the basic rule of upset if he saw anyone mistreating our our conduct towards all living beings." elephants, horses and cattle. Animals felt his
love and had great affection for Vardhaman. Remember how a venomous cobra played with our little prince when Vardhaman extended his hand in friendship!
Bhagwan calls this ahimsa (non-violence) and asks us to completely avoid violence. "Total ahimsa should be the basic rule of our conduct towards all living beings." Mahavir insists. I used to sacrifice
4 For example, Harikesh, was born in a low-caste 'Chandal' (hangmen) family. As a child no one would play with him and high caste children would throw stones at him. One day, when he was a young man, he watched some children throwing stones at a snake, killing it. That set Harikesh thinking that the killing was the result of the snake's karma. "People throw stones at me perhaps because of my karma in the past life. I can get rid of my bad karma through meditation and penances." ." He asked Bhagwan Mahavir to ordain him in the Arhat order. His devotion and hard work made him a well-known Sraman scholar.
90