Mahavira

This article is about the Tirthankara of Jainism. For the Jain mathematician, see Mahāvīra (mathematician).
Not to be confused with Mahavihara.
Vardhamana Mahāvīra
Last jain tirthankara
Mahaveer ji, Karauli, Rajasthan
Other Names: Veer, Ativeer, Vardhaman, Sanmati
Predecessor: Parshvanath
Main teachings: Ahiṃsā, Anekantavada, Aparigraha
Family
Father: Siddhartha
Mother: Trishala
Clan: Ñatta
Place
Birth: Vasokund, Vaishali
Moksha: Pawapuri, Bihar
Characteristic
Color: Golden
Symbol: Lion
Height: 6 feet
Age: 72 years
Important dates
Birth: 13th of Chaitra
Year: 599 BCE
Nirvana: Kartik Amavasya (Dipawali)
Year: 527 BCE

Mahavira (599 BCE–527 BCE[1]), also known as Vardhamana, was the twenty-fourth and last tirthankara of Jainism. Therefore, although Mahāvīra is sometimes regarded as the founder of Jainism, he was the last reformer of Jin dharma (Jainism) of present time cycle.

Mahavira was born into a royal family in what is now Bihar, India. At the age of 30 he left his home in pursuit of spiritual awakening (Diksha). For the next twelve and a half years he practiced intense meditation and severe penance, after which he achieved Kevala Jnana or enlightenment. He travelled all over Bharata (which was larger than today's India) for the next thirty years to teach Jain philosophy. Mahavira attained moksha at the age of 72. Mahavira was given the title Jīnā, or “Conqueror” (conqueror of inner enemies such as attachment, pride and greed), which subsequently became synonymous with Tirthankara.

Birth

According to Jain texts, Mahavira was born in 599 BCE.[2] Some historians identify Mahavira as a junior contemporary of Gautama Buddha, leaving his year of birth ambiguous,[3][4] but most of the historians and Jain followers agree that Mahavira was born in 599 BCE and place his date of birth on the thirteenth day of the rising moon of Chaitra in the Vira Nirvana Samvat calendar.[5][6] In the Gregorian calendar, this date falls in March or April.[7] Mahavira was born into the royal family of King Siddartha of Kundgraam and Queen Trishala, sister of King Chetaka of Vaishali.[8]

Mahavira was born into a royal family of Kshatriyas. Historians have identified three places in Bihar as his possible birthplace: Kundigram in Vaishali district, Lachhuar in Jamui and Kundalpur in Nalanda. Most modern historians agree that Vasokund was his birthplace.[9] Traditionally, Kundalapura in the ancient city of Vaishali is regarded as his birthplace; however, its location remains unidentified.[10] As the son of a king, Mahavira had all luxuries of life at his disposal. Both his parents were strict followers of Pārśva.[11]

Name

His childhood name was 'Vardhamana', which means "One who grows", because of the increased prosperity in the kingdom at the time of his birth.[11] The name "Mahavira" is a Sanskrit word meaning Great Warrior. One of the reasons for this name is that during his boyhood, Mahavira brought a terrifying serpent under control.[12] Mahavira has many other titles and epithets, including Vira, Sanmati and Ñataputta. The ancient texts refer to Mahavira as Ñataputta[13] (son of Natas). This referred to his clan of origin, the Ñatta.

Early life

Mahavira was born in a democratic kingdom, in which king was chosen by voting. Therefore, freedom & equality were core of Mahavira's thinking.[14] Jain traditions are not unanimous about his marital state. According to one tradition, Digambara, he was celibate and according to another (Shwetamber) he was married young to Yashoda and had one daughter, Priyadarshana.[15]

Ascetic life and Kevala Jnana

At the age of 30, Mahavira abandoned all the comforts of royal life and left his home and family to live ascetic life for spiritual awakening. He underwent severe penances, even without clothes. There is graphic description of hardships and humiliation he faced in the Acaranga Sūtra. In the eastern part of Bengal he suffered great distress. Boys pelted him with stones, people often humiliated him.[15]

The posture in which Mahavira attained Kevala Jñāna

The Kalpa Sūtra gives a detailed account of his ascetic life:[16]

“ The Venerable Ascetic Mahavira for a year and a month wore clothes; after that time he walked about naked, and accepted the alms in the hollow of his hand. For more than twelve years the Venerable Ascetic Mahivira neglected his body and abandoned the care of it; he with equanimity bore, underwent, and suffered all pleasant or unpleasant occurrences arising from divine powers, men, or animals. ”
“ Henceforth the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira was houseless, circumspect in his walking, circumspect in his speaking, circumspect in his begging, circumspect in his accepting (anything), in the carrying of his outfit and drinking vessel; circumspect in evacuating excrements, urine, saliva, mucus, and uncleanliness of the body; circumspect in his thoughts, circumspect in his words, circumspect in his acts; guarding his thoughts, guarding his words, guarding his acts, guarding his senses, guarding his chastity; without wrath, without pride, without deceit, without greed; calm, tranquil, composed, liberated, free from temptations, without egoism, without property; he had cut off all earthly ties, and was not stained by any worldliness: as water does not adhere to a copper vessel, or collyrium to mother of pearl (so sins found no place in him); his course was unobstructed like that of Life; like the firmament he wanted no support; like the wind he knew no obstacles; his heart was pure like the water (of rivers or tanks) in autumn; nothing could soil him like the leaf of a lotus; his senses were well protected like those of a tortoise; he was single and alone like the horn of a rhinoceros; he was free like a bird; he was always waking like the fabulous bird Bharundal, valorous like an elephant, strong like a bull, difficult to attack like a lion, steady and firm like Mount Mandara, deep like the ocean, mild like the moon, refulgent like the sun, pure like excellent gold'; like the earth he patiently bore everything; like a well-kindled fire he shone in his splendour. ”

After twelve and a half years of rigorous penance he achieved Kevala Jnana[15] i.e., realization of perfect perception, knowledge, power, and bliss. The Acharanga sutra describes Mahavira as all-seeing. The Sutrakritanga elaborates the concept as all-knowing and provides details of other qualities of Mahavira.[10]

Teachings

For the next 30 years Mahavira travelled far and wide in India to teach his philosophy. His philosophy has eight cardinal (law of trust) principles & three metaphysical and five ethical. The objective is to elevate the quality of life.[17]

  1. Ahiṃsā or non-violence- Mahavira taught that every living being has sanctity and dignity of its own and it should be respected just like we expect to respect our own sanctity and dignity. In simple words, we should show maximum possible kindness to every living being.
  2. Satya or truthfulness which leads to harmony in society. One should speak truth and respect right of property of each other's in society. One should be true to his own thoughts, words and deeds to create mutual atmosphere of confidence in society.
  3. Asteya or non-stealing which state that one should not take anything if not properly given.
  4. Brahmacharya or chastity which stress steady but determined restraint over yearning for sensual or sexual pleasures.
  5. Aparigraha or non-possession, non-attachment which requires complete detachment from people, places and material property.

Mahavira taught that pursuit of pleasure is an endless game, so we should train our minds to curb individual cravings and passions. That way one does achieve equanimity of mind, mental poise and spiritual balance. One should voluntarily limit acquisition of property as a community virtue which results in social justice and fair distribution of utility commodities. The strong and the rich should not try to suppress the weak and the poor by acquiring limitless property which results in unfair distribution of wealth in society and hence poverty. Attempting to enforce these five qualities by an external and legal authority leads to hypocrisy or secret criminal tendencies. So the individual or society should exercise self-restrain to achieve social peace, security and an enlightened society.

Anekantavada

Main article: Anekantavada

Another fundamental teaching of Mahavira was Anekantavada i.e., pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints. Mahāvīra employed anekānta extensively to explain the Jain philosophical concepts. Taking a relativistic viewpoint, Mahāvīra is said to have explained the nature of the soul as both permanent from the point of view of underlying substance (nīshyānay), and temporary, from the point of view of its modes and modification.

Nirvana

Siddhashila (the realm of the liberated beings) according to Jain cosmology

According to Jain agams, Mahavira attained moksha or complete liberation in 527 BCE and his soul is believed to have become Siddha i.e., soul at its purest form. On the same day Indrabhuti Gautama, his Ganadhara (chief disciple) attained Kevala Jnana. According to Mahapurana, after the nirvana of tirthankaras, devas do the funeral rites. According to Pravachansar, only nails and hair of tirthankaras are left behind, and rest of the body gets dissolved in the air like camphor.[18] Some Western scholars suggests that this date would have been around 425 BCE.[19] There is a Jain temple named Jal mandir in Pawapuri, the place where Mahavira is believed to have attained nirvana. Mahavira is usually depicted in a sitting or standing meditative posture with a symbol of a lion under him.

Previous births

Mahavira’s previous births are discussed in Jain texts such as the Trisastisalakapurusa Charitra and Jinasena's Mahapurana. While a soul undergoes countless reincarnations in transmigratory cycle of saṃsāra, the births of a tirthankara are reckoned from the time he determined the causes of karma and developed the Ratnatraya. Jain texts discuss twenty-six births of Mahavira prior to his incarnation as a tirthankara.[20]

There are various Jain texts describing the life of Mahavira. The most notable of them is the Kalpa Sūtra of Bhadrabahu. The first Sanskrit biography of Mahavira was Vardhamacharitra by Asaga in 853 CE.[21] Mahavira was grandson of the first tirthankara, Rishabha, according to Jain legends. He was earlier born as the heretical grandson of Rishabha known as Marichi.[22] During his time, many of his contemporaries claimed to be the 24th tirthankara. Some of these were Puran Kashyapa, Makhali Goshala, Ajit Keshkambli, Pakuda Kachchhayan and Sanjay Vellathiputta. However, none of them have any special place in jaina universal history except Mahavira.[23]

Influence

Mahāvīra's teachings influenced many personalities. Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced by Mahavira.

“ Bhagwan Mahavira is sure to be respected as the highest authority on Ahimsa. If anyone has practiced to the fullest extent and has propagated most the doctrine of Ahimsa, it was Lord Mahavira. - Mahatma Gandhi[24][25] ”
“ "Mahavira proclaimed in India, the message of salvation, that religion is a reality and not a mere social convention, that salvation comes from taking refuge in the true religion and not from observing the external ceremonies of the community, that religion cannot regard any barriers between man and man as an eternal variety. Wonderous to say, this teaching rapidly over topped the barriers of the race abiding instinct and conquered the whole county." - Dr. Ravindranath Tagore[24] ”

Modern View

Mahavira's teachings were for the welfare of humanity and can be the answer to challenges of the modern world.[26]

Gallery

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Mahavira (Jaina teacher) – Encyclopedia Britannica". Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Mahavir Jayanti: Birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira I Times of India
  3. ↑ Kumar 2001, p. 3
  4. ↑ Jainism: The story of Mahavira - Victoria and Albert Museum
  5. ↑ Kristi L. Wiley: Historical Dictionary of Jainism, Lanham 2004, p. 134.
  6. ↑ Lord Mahavira and Jainism
  7. ↑ Concise Encyclopaedia of India - K.R. Gupta & Amita Gupta - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  8. ↑ Glasenapp 1999, pp. 29–37
  9. ↑ Row over Mahavira’s birthplace - Times Of India
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dundas 2002, p. 25
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jain 1991, p. 32.
  12. ↑ Jain Tirthankara Mahavira
  13. ↑ Winternitz 1993, p. 408.
  14. ↑ Jalaj 2011, p. 6.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Jainism Literature Center - Articles". Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  16. ↑ Jacobi, Hermann (1884). (ed.) F. Max Müller, ed. The Kalpa Sūtra. Sacred Books of the East vol.22, Part 1 (in English: translated from Prakrit). Oxford: The Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-7007-1538-X. Note: ISBN refers to the UK:Routledge (2001) reprint. URL is the scan version of the original 1884 reprint
  17. ↑ Chakravarthi 2003, p. 3–22.
  18. ↑ Pramansagar 2008, p. 38-39.
  19. ↑ Dundas 2002, p. 24.
  20. ↑ Glasenapp 1999, p. 327
  21. ↑ Jain 1991, p. 59
  22. ↑ Dundas 2002, p. 21
  23. ↑ Nagārāja 2003, p. 127.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Nanda 1997, p. 44.
  25. ↑ Great Men Views on Jainism
  26. ↑ Jalaj 2011, p. 30-31.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mahavira.
Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Mahāvīra.