YJA Convention 1994 07 Chicago IL First

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

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ties, he was called Mahavira.
Vardhamana lived as a householder for thirty years. When his parents died, with the permission of his elders he distributed all his wealth among the poor during a whole year and renounced the world. After observing fast for two days and having put on one garment, Vardhamana left for a park known as Jnatrkhanda in a palanquin named Candraprabha. He descended from the palanquin under an asoka tree, took off his garments, plucked put his hair in five handfuls and entered the state of houselessness. He wore the garment only for a year and a month and then abandoned it and wandered about naked afterwards.
The Venerable Ascetic Mahavira spent his second rainy season in a weaver's shed at Nalanda, a suburb of Rajagraha. Gosala, the Ajivika, approached the Venerable Ascetic and made a request to admit him as his disciple. Mahavira did not entertain his request. Gosala again approached the Venerable Ascetic when he had left the place at the end of the rainy season. This time his request was, however, accepted and both of them lived together for a considerable period. While at Siddharthapura, Gosala uprooted a sesamum shrub and threw it away challenging Mahavira's prediction that it would bear fruits. Owing to a lucky fall of rain the shrub came to life again and bore fruits. Seeing this Gosala concluded that everything is pre-determined and that all living beings are capable of reanimation. Mahavira did not favor such generalizations. Gosala, then, served his association with Mahavira and founded his own sect known as Ajivika.
Mahavira had travelled up to Ladha in West Bengal. He had to suffer all sorts of tortures in the non-Aryan territory of Vajrabhumi and Subnrabhumi. Many of his hardships were owing to the adverse climate, stinging plants and insects and wicked inhabitants who set dogs at him. The Venerable Ascetic had spent his ninth rainy season in the non-Aryan land of the Ladha country.
Mahavira passed twelve years of his ascetic life with equanimity performing hard and long penances and enduring all afflictions and calamities with an undisturbed mind. During the thirteenth year on the tenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaisakha the Venerable Ascetic obtained omniscience under a Sala tree in the farm of Syamaka on the northern bank of river Rajpalika outside the town of Jrmbhikagrama. He preached the Law in the Ardhamagadhi language, taught five great vows etc., initiated Indrabhuti (Gautama) and others and established the four-fold Order (monks, nuns, male lay-votaries and female lay-votaries.
Jamali, who was the son-in-law of Mahavira and had entered his Church, left the Order after some time and founded a new sect known as Bahurata. He is regarded as the first schismatic (nihnava) in the Jain Church.
Lord Mahavira passed the last thirty years of his life as the omniscient tirthankar. He spent his last rainy season at Papa (Pavapuri). On the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartika the Lord attained liberation there at the age of seventy-two. The eighteen confederate kings of Kasi and Kosala (and eighteen kings) belonging to the Mallaki and dLecchaki clans were present there at that time. Thinking that the spiritual light of the knowledge has vanished with the passing away of Lord they made a material illumination by lighting lamps.
Lord Mahavira was the head of an excellent community of 14,000 monks, 36,000 nuns, 159,000 male lay-votaries and 318,000 female lay-votaries. The four groups designated as monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen constitute the four-fold Order (tirtha) of Jainism. One who makes such an order is known as a tirthankar. Tirthankar Mahavira's followers comprised three categories of persons: ascetics, lay-votaries and sympathizers or supporters. Indrabhuti (monk), Candana (nun), etc., form the first category. Sankha (layman), Sulasa (laywoman), etc., come under the second category. Srenika (Bimbisara), Kunika (Ajatsatru), Pradyota, Udayana, Cellana, etc., form the third
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