Lord Mahavir calmly bearing Shulpani Yaksha's tortures
Wandering Mahavira one day arrived near a small
forlorn village on the banks of river Vegvati. There he
took permission from the village headman to stay in an
abandoned temple for a night long meditation. According
to the scriptures, he was tortured by a Yaksha Shulpani
but remained undisturbed in his meditation, free from
attachment and aversion, unless the Yaksha gave up
torturing Mahavira and fell at his feet. Mahavir opened
his eyes and, raising his hand, said, “Shulpani! Anger
supplements anger and love begets love. If you do not
cause fear, you will become free of all fears always. So
destroy the poison ivy of anger.”
During the second year, while Mahavira was crossing
the river, his garment was caught in the thorns on
the bank of the river. The lord did not look back or tried
to put it back on his shoulders. He kept walking and
from this time onwards he remained naked.
Lord Mahavir and the poisonous snake Chandkaushika
Once while he was on his way to Shwetambika town, he
had to go through a barren forest which was the habitat
of a poisonous cobra snake. He was warned by the
villagers to avoid that route but Mahavira did not show
any fear. Reaching the snake’s hole he decided to stand
there for meditation. According to the scriptures he was
bitten by the snake that was a Jain monk in his previous
births and had to take the birth of a snake because of
anger. The snake was astonished to see milk oozing
out instead of blood from the spots where it has stung
on Mahavira’s toe. The milk was sign of boundless
compassion he had for every living being. Then staring
into Mahavira’s eyes full of compassion the snake
regained memories of its previous lives and repented
mentally for the sins it had committed in previous births.
The snake then did not harm any living being and died
peacefully.Mahavira’s second rainy season was spent
in Nalanda, a suburb of Rajagrha. While here he was
met by Gosala Mankhaliputra. Gosala was then
wandering about in the country showing pictures to the
people, and was attracted by Mahavira owing to his
extra-ordinary self-restraint and impressive habits of
medication and by the fact that a rich householder of
Rajagrha, by name Vijaya had shown respect and
hospitality towards Mahavira. The Jaina books mention
that Gosala approached Mahavira with a request that
he may be adopted as his disciple, but that Mahavira
declined his request, presumably because he at once
sensed the great difference between their
temperaments. Gosala’s request was repeated on two
later occasions and on each successive occasion with
greater earnestness, and was ultimately granted by
Mahavira. From there they travelled for six years
together.
In Choraga village, both Mahavira and Goshala were
taken for spies and imprisoned. Tying them with ropes,
the landlord Kalahasti torchered them. His elder brother
Megh identified Mahavira as Vardhaman, King
Siddhartha’s son. He fell at the feet of Mahavir and,
with tears of repentance in his eyes he begged to be
forgiven. When released Mahavir resumed his journey.
Goshala left Mahavira’s company after six years and
started his own school known as Ajivika and declared
himself as Jina or Omniscient where Mahavira
continued his journey towards the ultimate truth.
twenty great afflictions by Sangam
In the eleventh year of his spiritual journey, one day Lord
Mahavir was doing a special one night meditation in
Polash Temple. In this practice one makes his body, mind,
psyche and soul absolutely still and tranquil, observing the
high degree of engrossment in meditation. According to the
scriptures, on that night, he was tortured by the celestial
being Sangam who gave twenty terrible physical pain to
the Lord. Ultimately he couldn’t disturb the lord from his
spiritual meditation. It was at this time, and only at this time,
that tears rolled from the eyes of Bhagvan Mahavir. The
reason behind the tears was not the pain caused by
Sangam but they were for the cost of Sangam's own awful
severe loss.
It was the 12th year of Mahavira’s spiritual practices.
Spending the monsoon-stay at Vaishali he came toa garden
in Kaushambi. It was the time around which the incidents of
Shatanik’s attack on Champa, fall of Champa, sacrifice of
queen Dharini, auction of princess Vasumati as a slave, etc.
were occurring. Mahavira with his penetrating knowledge
and perception had a glimpse of all this. He made an
almost impossible resolution on the first day of the dark half
of the month of Paush.
“I will accept alms for breaking my fast only from a
princess that has become a slave. And that too only if she
has a shaven head, her limbs are shackled, she has not
eaten for three days, she is sitting on the threshold of a
house, she has pulse-bran lying in a basket and she has a
smile as well as tears in her eyes. Unless these conditions
are met I resolve to continue my practice and not to break
my fast.”
Lord Mahavir accepting alms from the hands of Chandanbala
Five months and twenty five days had passed since
Mahavira had eaten anything. The twenty sixth day of the
sixth month dawned. It was past noon when Mahavira,
wandering for alms, approached the house where
Princess Vasumati as a slave was kept. She had made
a resolve not to eat before serving to some monk. She
had stale pulse in the basket.
Upon seeing the Lord approaching to the house she
became happy and offered the alms. This is where
all conditions of Lord Mahavira met except the one.
There were no tears in Vasumati’s eyes.
By seeing this Lord moved ahead without accepting
alms. Vasumati became sad and thought, “How unlucky
I am that Shramana Mahavira did not accept the alms
from my hand.” And then she started to cry. When the
lord saw back he saw tears in her eyes and thus all his
conditions met. He accepted stale pulse and broke his
six months long fast. Vasumati later became known as
Chandana or Chandanbala and took initiation under Lord
Mahavira’s hands and became head nun of the nun order
and ultimately gained Omniscience and Nirvana.
The cow-herder hammering thorns into Lord Mahavir's ears
After spending his twelfth rainy season, Lord Mahavira
started his journey to Chammani village and as night
was approaching he decided to stand in Kayotsarg
Meditation outside the village under a tree before it gets
dark. A passing cow herder saw the lord and asked him
to look for his oxen as he wanted to go back to the village.
The lord was in deep meditation and didn’t reply him.
The cowherd went into the village and returned a little
late. The oxen had drifted away grazing. Not finding his
oxen, he asked, “Ascetic, where are my oxen?” As the
lord was in meditation he didn’t reply. The cowherd
asked again, and once again he did not get any
response. He got irritated and shouted, “You hypocrite!
Are you deaf, don’t you hear anything?”
Again not getting any answer from Mahavira, the cow
herder lost his temper and picked long nail like thorns
from a nearby shrub of Kansa grass and pierced the
ears of Mahavir deeply by hammering the thorns in.
Even such excruciating agony did not move Mahavir
from his meditation; neither did it evoke any feeling of
anger or aversion in him.
The next afternoon the thorns were removed by doctor
Kharak. Kharak used some medicated oil and forceps
and pulled out the thorns. This caused such an
unbearable agony to Mahavir that an anguished cry
was forced out of him. Blood oozed out of his ears.
After deep and exhausting spiritual practice for more
than 12 years Lord Mahavir was extremely tired. The
exhaustion resulted in a slumber for a few moments
during the last hour of the night and Mahavir saw ten
strange dreams. The ten dreams are described in Jain
scriptures as below:
1) Defeating a lion: You will soon destroy the Illusory
(Mohaniya) Karma.
2) A bird with white feathers is in attendance: You will
always have purest attitude or feelings.
3) A bird with multicolored feathers: You will propagate
multifaceted knowledge through the 12 Aagams
(canons)
4) Two gem strings appear in front: You will preach
two-way religion. The conduct of ascetics and the
conduct of laity.
5) A herd with white cows: The four pronged
organization will serve you.
6) A pond with open lotuses: The celestial beings
from four dimensions will serve you.
7) Crossed a waxy ocean swimming: You will cross
the ocean of rebirths.
8) Sun rays spreading in all directions: Soon you will
attain Omniscience (kevala jnana).
9) You are encircling the mountain with your bluish
intestines: You will pervade the universe with your
pure glory.
10) You are sitting on a throne placed on summit
of the Mount Meru: You will give religious discourse
sitting on a high throne.
ATTAINMENT OF OMNISCIENCE
It was the tenth day of the bright half of the month of
Vaishakh. Twelve years five months and fifteen
days had passed since the beginning of Mahavira’s
spiritual practices. Lord Mahavir sat in mediation under
a Shala tree in a garden on the back of the river
Rijuvaluka (river Barakar in modern times). Sitting
on both feet with knees touching his chest, he was
feeling calm even in the scorching summer sun.
Focusing all his physical, mental and spiritual
energies he was engrossed in deep and pure
meditation (shukla dhyana). Gradually the sun
was setting in the west and within him the sun of
omniscience was rising.
He became omniscient or, or Arihanta. He became
a Jina, the victorious over attachment and aversion.
At that time he was 42 years of age.
Lord Mahavira’s attainment of Absolute Knowledge
or Omniscience is mentioned in the Kalpasutra as
below:
"During the thirteenth year, in the second month of
summer, in the fourth fortnight, the light (fortnight)
of Vaisakha, on its tenth day, when the shadow had
turned towards the east and the first wake was
over, on the day called Suvrata, in the Muhurta
called Vigaya, outside of the town Grimbhikagrama
on the bank of the river Rjupalika, not far from an old
temple, in the field of the householder Samaga
(shyamak), under a Sal tree, when the moon was in
conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni, (the
Venerable One) in a squatting position with joined
heels, exposing himself to the heat of the sun, after
fasting two and a half days without drinking water,
being engaged in deep meditation, reached the
highest knowledge and intuition, called Kevala,
which is infinite, supreme, unobstructed, unimpeded,
complete, and full.”
“He knew and saw all conditions of the worlds, of
celestial beings, men and animals and hellish
beings; whence they came, whither they are born
as men or animals or became celestial beings or
hellish beings, the ideas, the thoughts of their mind,
the food, doings, desires, the open and secret
deeds of all the livings in the whole world; the Arhat,
for whom there is no secret, knew and saw all
conditions of all living beings in the world, what they
thought, spoke, or did at any time.”
THE FIRST DISCOURSE
The divine preaching pavilion
According to scriptures, a divine preaching pavilion (Samavasarana) was created by the celestial beings for Lord Mahavir to spread his message. All Tirthankaras preach from a Samavasarana according to Jainism. Lord Mahavira spread his message of Ahimsa (Non-violence), but no enough mass gathered at that time and his discourse could not change anybody’s heart and thus his first discourse remained unsuccessful. Then after travelling a long distance he arrived at the city of Pava where the second Samavasarana was created in the garden of Mahasena. Here after a long philosophical discussion Lord Mahavira converted the eleven learned Brahmin Pundits into Jainism and made them his chief disciples (Ganadhars). They were, Indrabhuti, Agnibhuti, Vayubhuti, Vyakta, Sudharma, Mandikata, Mauryaputra, Akampita, Achalbhadra, Metarya and Prabhasa. The first three were real brothers and were from Gautama clan. Indrabhuti is famously known in Jain scriptures as Gautama or Indrabhuti Gautama and was highly attached and impressed from Lord Mahavira. Each disciple had their own followers and all took initiation under Lord Mahavira’s order. Thus, eleven great scholars were inducted with their 4400 disciples into Lord Mahavira’s order during his first discourse. It is presumable that at this place not only Shramanas but also lay disciples joined Mahavira’s order; in Jaina texts there are references to the Lord having established a community of four orders i.e., monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen at the same time.
To his chief disciples, Lord Mahavira gave the knowledge of
Three Pronouncements or Tripadi. These are Upaneiva
(Emergence), Vigameiva (Distruction) and Dhuveiva
(Permanence). There emerges a new phase of substance
(any of the six substances), the old phase vanishes and
yet the substance maintains its own essence and quality.
Thus nothing new is created, but the substance
undergoes modifications. From this knowledge the
eleven disciples composed Dwadashangi or the 12 Angas.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FORD
Lord Mahavir initiating disciples
Lord Mahavir established the Jaina Ford on the eleventh day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakh. After his first discourse he changed hearts of many listeners. There were many kings, including King Shrenik Bimbisar and Ajatshatru (Konik) of Rajgriha, King Chetaka of Vaishali, Nine Kings of Kashi, King Udayana, King Shatanik, King Chandrapadyot and Nine Licchavis Kings of Koshal were staunch devotees of Lord Mahavir.
Lord Parshwanath, the 23rd Tirthankara preached four vows
namely, not to steal, not to Lie, not to commit violence and
not to own property. Seeing the conditions of human minds in
the present time, Lord Mahavir added the fifth vow namely
Chastity and preached five vows.
LATER YEARS
Lord Mahavir devoted his life preaching the eternal truth he had realized through absolute knowledge. He had a huge community of more than five hundred thousand lay persons and fifty thousand monks and nuns. He organized his followers into a fourfold order, monk, nun, layman and laywoman. Lord Mahavir travelled barefoot, meeting people from all walks of life who came to listen his discourses. Lord Mahavir gave discourses in the local language Ardhamagadhi, not in the classical Sanskrit.
Lord Mahavir preaching before kings
TEACHING
Lord Mahavir taught that from eternity every soul is in bondage
of Karmic Atoms (the minutest atomic particles) that are
accumulated by good or bad deeds. In a state of Karmic
Delusion, the living being, trapped in worldly existence seeks
temporary happiness from external objects and thus
accumulates more karma. Lord Mahavir emphasized on self-
realization and the knowledge of difference between the
self-soul and matter to get rid of influx of fresh karma and
to eliminate previously acquired karma to liberate the self from
the cycle of birth and death. Lord Mahavir taught the necessity
of Triple Gems (Right Knowledge, Right Faith and Right
Conduct) in order to attain liberation. There are the Five
Great Vows in the heart Right Conduct. These are
Non-Violence, Truthfulness, Non-Stealing, Non-Possession
and Chastity. The monks and nuns have to observe these
vows strictly. Lord Mahavir denied the existence of Supreme
God and stressed on self-effort to attain emancipation.
Lord Mahavir’s philosophy has eight cardinal principles-
three metaphysical and five ethical. According to Jainism,
the Universe is eternal, was never created and will never be
destroyed. The Universe is made up of six eternal substances
namely Souls, Material Atoms, Medium of Motion, Medium
of Rest, Space and Time. All the six are independent of
each other. The six are eternal and yet undergo changes or
modifications. To explain this multifaceted reality Lord Mahavir
reestablished the philosophy of Anekantvada or The
Principle of Non-Absolutism. Anekantvada refers to multiplicity
of view-points and teaches us that truth and reality are
perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no
single point of view is the complete truth. The language, which
is of human creation, has limits to express the absolute
truth in words, the principle of Syadvada or the Principle of
Seven Fold Predictions was later developed in order to
express the multifaceted reality. Another theory called
Nayvada also arose from Anekantvada. Nayvada means
The Principle of Partial Stand Points. According to Jainism
there are infinite stand points and each express partial truth.
Lord Mahavira taught that men and women are spiritual equals
and that both may renounce the world in search of Moksha.
Lord Mahavira attracted people from all walks of life, rich and
poor, men and women, touchable and untouchable.
THE FINAL DISCOURSE
Lord Mahavir began his last discourse at Pavapuri. It was a
marathon one and the world was bathed in the words of
wisdom emanating from his lips. His last discourse lasted for
consecutive 48 hours and is recorded as Uttradhyayana Sutra.
NIRVANA
At age 72 years and 4 and half months, Lord Mahavir attained
Nirvana at Pavapuri. Lord Mahavir’s great Nirvana is
mentioned in the sacred text Kalpasutra as below:
“The non-destructive karma of the venerable ascetic Lord
Mahavir got exhausted, when in this descending time cycle,
the greater part of dushama-dushama period had elapsed
and only three years and eight and a half months were left.
Mahavira had recited the fifty-five lectures which detail the
results of Karma, and the thirty-six unasked questions (the
Uttaradhyana Sutra). The moon was in conjunction with the
asterism Svati (Arcturus), at the time of early morning, in
the town of Papa, and in king Hastipala's office of the writers,
Lord Mahavir single and alone, sitting in the
Samparyahka posture, left his body and attained nirvana,
freed from all pains.”
“In that night in which the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, died,
freed from all pains, the eighteen confederate kings of
Kasi and Kosala, the nine Mallakis and nine Licchavis, on
the day of new moon, instituted an illuminations on the
Poshadha, which was a fasting day; for they said: 'Since
the light of intelligence is gone, let us make an illumination
of material matter!”
Jains celebrate this as Diwali, the day he attained liberation
or Moksha.
The day Lord Mahavir attained Nirvana, his chief disciple Indrabhuti Gautama attained Omniscience, the absolute knowledge. At that time his age was 80 years and couldn’t gain it since 30 years due to extreme attachment towards Lord Mahavir. With realizing the fact that everything is transitory and contemplating deeply on singleness of the soul, he gained Omniscience and became Arihanta.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LORD MAHAVIR
According to Jainism, all Tirthankars born with Vajrarishabha Narach Sanhanan joints as well as Samchaturasa Naracha Sanhanan. Vajrarishabha Narach Sanhanan mentions the strongest body which is capable of bearing hardest tortures and difficulties. Samchaturasa Naracha Sanhanan literally means the Symmetrical Body. From this we can say that Lord Mahavira's bodily structure was Symmetrical built and was capable of bearing hardest tortures caused by the animals, humans and celestial beings. According to the scriptures, such symmetrical body is the most beautiful human structure in the universe.
The conception of symmetry is explained in the following way. "Imagine a man with Paryanka Posture, i.e, crossing the legs and placing the hands over the navel. If straight lines are drawn across the two knees, from the right shoulder to the left knee, from the left shoulder to the right knee, and from the forehead to the hands, one gets four lines. If these are equal to one another, symmetry is apparent."
According to the scholars, he must have been a man of strong will power and patience. Otherwise he could not withstood the tortures and privations he suffered during the period of twelve and half years he was travelling before his attainment of Omniscience. He must have also had charisma and quality of attracting people. This conclusion can be drawn from the success he obtained in combining the Jaina (Nirgrantha) church into one, and creating a religious system, which has lasted almost unchanged these 2500 years.
ORIGINAL TRUE PICTURE OF KING COBRA WITH ONE HEAD
