Bhagwan Mahavir - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text about Bhagwan Mahavir:

Bhagwan Mahavir: A Summary

This text, from the JAINA Education Committee, provides an overview of the life and teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankar of the current era.

Context of His Birth: Bhagwan Mahavir was born approximately 2600 years ago in India, a time when society and religion were facing significant issues. The caste system was rigidly enforced, with Brahmins holding superiority and Shudras facing severe degradation and limited opportunities. Religious practices had devolved into violent animal sacrifices, mistakenly believed to appease deities for personal gain.

Early Life and Renunciation: Born in 599 BC in Kundalpur (present-day Bihar), Mahavir was named Vardhaman by his parents, King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala, as his birth brought increased prosperity. Even in childhood, Vardhaman displayed exceptional intelligence, compassion, and fearlessness, earning him the name Mahavir. Recognizing the transient nature of worldly pleasures and their basis in the suffering of others, he resolved to pursue spiritual happiness. He delayed his renunciation until after his parents' passing and, at the age of 30, gave up his worldly life, family, and possessions to become a monk.

Asceticism and Enlightenment: For the next twelve and a half years, Mahavir engaged in intense meditation, silence, and severe austerities, including fasting and moving barefoot. He practiced extreme non-violence, carefully avoiding harm to any living being. During this period, he faced numerous hardships with equanimity, including encounters with a poisonous snake and physical abuse. His steadfastness and compassion led him to break a six-month fast with food offered by Chandanbala. Through this rigorous spiritual discipline, he destroyed his "Ghati" (destructive) karmas, achieving Keval-jnana (omniscience or perfect enlightenment). From then on, he was known as Bhagawan Mahavir.

Preaching and the Jain Sangha: For the subsequent thirty years, Bhagawan Mahavir traveled throughout India, preaching his realized eternal truths. His message resonated with people from all strata of society, emphasizing the equality of men and women in spiritual pursuits. He established the Jain Sangha, a fourfold order comprising monks (Sadhus), nuns (Sadhvis), laymen (Shravaks), and laywomen (Shravikäs).

Teachings and Scriptures: Bhagawan Mahavir's sermons were compiled by his disciples into the Anga Āgam Sūtras. Later scholars expanded upon these, creating the Āgams or Āgam Sūtras, considered the scriptures of Jainism. These were initially passed down orally and later recorded on palm leaves.

His ultimate teaching aimed at liberation (Moksha) from the cycle of birth and death, achieving a permanent state of bliss. This liberation is attained by shedding karmas, accumulated through vices like anger, ego, deceit, and greed. Mahavir emphasized the path to shedding karma through Right Faith (Samyag-Darshan), Right Knowledge (Samyag-Jnän), and Right Conduct (Samyag-Chāritra).

The Five Great Vows: Central to Right Conduct are the five great vows:

Non-violence (Ahimsa): Not causing harm to any living being.
Truthfulness (Satya): Speaking only harmless truth.
Non-stealing (Achaurya): Not taking anything not freely given.
Celibacy (Brahmacharya): Not indulging in sensual pleasures.
Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha): Complete detachment from people, places, and material things.

These vows form the guiding principles of Jain life, with monks and nuns observing them strictly, and lay followers adhering to them to the best of their ability. The text also mentions the philosophy of non-absolutism (Anekāntavāda) as crucial for understanding these principles.

Rejection of a Creator God: Bhagawan Mahavir rejected the concept of God as a creator, protector, or destroyer of the universe. He also denounced the worship of deities for material gains. He taught that any human being can achieve liberation and become a Siddha (God).

Nirvana and Legacy: At the age of seventy-two (527 BC), Bhagawan Mahavir attained Nirvana in Pavapuri, merging his purified soul with complete liberation. This event is celebrated as Diwali. His teachings simplified religion, focusing on the soul's inner beauty and harmony. He stressed the significance of human life, a positive attitude, and universal love. Mahavir proclaimed the inherent potential of every living being for infinite knowledge, perception, happiness, and power. His message of equality and respect for all living beings, irrespective of their form, remains a cornerstone of Jainism.