Mahavir Prabhunu Antar Jivan

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Mahavir Prabhunu Antar Jivan":

This text, "Mahavir Prabhunu Antar Jivan" (The Inner Life of Lord Mahavir), by Fatehchand Z. Shah, explores the profound spiritual and inner journey of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar of Jainism. The author emphasizes that while Lord Mahavir's divine birthday is celebrated annually, it's the contemplation of his virtues and self-reliance on this auspicious day that truly honors him and elevates one's soul.

The article posits that Lord Mahavir's extraordinary life as an exceptional human being, a great religious propagator, a diligent follower of life service, compassionate towards the distressed, and one who fostered profound detachment and fortitude amidst opposing sentiments, was not attained without cause. It delves into the Jain concept of the soul's evolution, presenting a perspective distinct from Darwin's theory. Unlike Darwin, Jainism posits that a soul can ascend to higher stages through the acquisition of virtues but can also fall back due to a change in its resulting spiritual states. However, the ingrained impressions from those higher stages will eventually lead to its re-emergence and re-ascent.

The text traces Lord Mahavir's spiritual journey back twenty-seven lifetimes before his current existence, highlighting the acquisition of Samyaktva (right faith/vision) as a crucial turning point. It states that the count of a soul's births becomes significant only after attaining Samyaktva, after which it enters the circle of beings with the potential for liberation. Similar to how Lord Buddha's life was a result of practicing the ten Paramitas (perfections) like truth and non-violence in past lives, Lord Mahavir's life as a Tirthankar is described as the fruit of twenty-seven lifetimes of devotion to Jinas, ascetic practices, compassion, and adherence to the five great vows (Panch Mahavrata). The author references Umaaswati Vachak's description of him with the epithet "Mavita Mavov" (one who has attained all states).

The article recounts Lord Mahavir's life as Prince Nanda, where he willingly renounced princely status and performed severe austerities, accumulating auspicious karmic seeds for the Tirthankarship. Through this process of growth in substance and spirit, experiencing the pleasures of divine and human realms while remaining detached, he progressed on his evolutionary path, culminating in his final birth as Lord Mahavir.

The text emphasizes that even as Prince Nanda, Lord Mahavir harbored the profound aspiration, "May all beings be devoted to my teachings," which was the very force behind his accumulation of the immense merit required for the Tirthankar name-karma. This seed of aspiration blossomed into the tree of his Tirthankar existence. From birth, this aspiration was deeply ingrained, prompting him to consider when he could renounce the world, endure hardships (upsarg), and liberate all beings from the suffering of worldly existence, guiding them towards the righteous path.

The author explains that when a person's thoughts are pure, their actions are selfless and focused on the welfare of others, and their inner strength is immense, this trinity leads to the manifestation of beneficial thoughts into concrete actions, bringing joy to the doer. Similarly, Lord Mahavir experienced immense joy from his unparalleled benefit to all beings. The aspiration to uplift all creatures, from the humblest insect to the most powerful human, from the simplest one-sensed being to the five-sensed being, is presented as a profound and rare achievement, not a simple secret of human birth. This understanding arose from his jnana-drushti (vision of true knowledge), which perceived the terrible suffering of all beings trapped in the prison of worldly existence, thus inspiring his compassionate desire for their liberation. While the aspiration for universal upliftment can be vast, its actualization is subject to the ripeness of time, nature, and other contributing factors. Therefore, Lord Mahavir's liberation efforts were successful within the scope determined by these conditions.

The article highlights the extraordinary balance Lord Mahavir maintained between seemingly contradictory emotions. It posits that remaining detached from those who benefit us is perhaps more difficult than not harboring ill will towards enemies, yet Lord Mahavir mastered both. His discriminative insight was empowered by true knowledge. From birth, he was distant from the conduct of souls engrossed in external consciousness, indicating he was born with an inner-soul perspective. Eating, drinking, indulging in pleasures, finding joy in material possessions, and grieving over unpleasant associations are described not as inherent qualities but as physical, material actions. Similarly, relationships with parents, children, relatives, spouse, palaces, and gardens are temporary and have no true connection to the soul. Our sense of ownership is merely a matter of convention. The profound understanding of this truth expanded his discriminative vision. Concurrently, his immense devotion to his parents, his pure love for his friend Prince Chandan, and his obedience to his elder brother Nandivardhan are presented as testaments to his multifaceted love. This demonstrates the remarkable development of his syadvada-drishti (many-sided perspective) and immense capability, allowing him to embody both love and detachment within a single soul.

Despite these personal relationships, his point of view was oriented towards the welfare of all beings in the universe, tinged with detachment. The four noble sentiments—friendship (maitri), goodwill (prameh), compassion (karunya), and equanimity (madhyastha)—were pervasive in his soul. Deep-seated impressions from past lives nurtured his magnanimous aspirations. His focus was so unwavering that despite numerous temptations in the world, abundant pleasures in his royal lineage, and the affectionate pull of loved ones towards worldly attachment, he steadfastly pursued his spiritual activities with discriminative wisdom.

The text emphasizes that even with the strength to move Mount Sumeru, Lord Mahavir practiced unparalleled forgiveness, even unto death, as encapsulated by the saying, "Forgiveness is the ornament of the brave." It recounts the instance of Sangamdeva, who tormented him for six months after his initiation. Lord Mahavir's compassion is shown when he shed tears of empathy upon realizing that "this worldly creature, due to me, is destined for unfortunate rebirths in many lives." In another instance, facing the serpent Chandakaushik with the intention of enlightening it, Lord Mahavir was bitten. However, due to the pervasive peace within him, the serpent also shed its anger and became eternally calm.

Lord Mahavir never expressed contempt or anger towards followers of other philosophies. Instead, he presented the truth to those who approached him, explained profound truths, and made them realize falsehood. The text highlights his interaction with Gautama Swami, who possessed complete knowledge of all Vedas and approached him with pride for a debate. Lord Mahavir, with a sweet voice, resolved Gautama Swami's doubts using Vedic pronouncements, creating an environment where truth became self-evident, showcasing the depth of his magnanimity. This pedagogical style was his consistent approach to achieving his auspicious goals. The statement, "He overlooked the faults of others," indicates the absence of fault-finding in him. Despite being devoid of eighteen defects and considered a divine being in all three worlds, his inner strength was not so meager as to consider others inferior. How could such a thought arise in one who had completely eradicated pride? The text concludes this section by noting how ordinary beings often fall into such judgments.

Lord Mahavir's teachings and their embodiment in scriptures are aimed at bringing peace to the world. By pacifying the afflictions of beings, elevating their hearts, and enabling them to attain self-knowledge, his teachings guide people to remain in equanimity and righteous conduct during challenging times, fulfilling their duties with self-reliance.

The accumulation of merit in Lord Mahavir's past lives manifested in his astonishing worldly existence. His golden physique, his celestial chariot-like resting places, his grand thrones in the Samavasarana, and the constant presence and service of deities were awe-inspiring. Despite this outward grandeur, he remained detached, like a lotus in water. His life was characterized by extensive knowledge. His avatar on Earth was thus to experience these inner riches while existing amidst outward prosperity.

The text states that listening to his sermons calmed the anger of wrathful individuals, humbled the proud, removed the crookedness of the deceitful, and replaced greed with suffering. Lord Mahavir, who adeptly managed opposing sentiments like the sharpness of anger towards Kansa and compassion towards Sangamdeva, guided a society steeped in animal sacrifice during Vedic times towards the high principle of "Non-violence is the Supreme Dharma" (Ahimsa Paramo Dharma). He established a balance between enjoyment and renunciation, householder life and asceticism, activity and inactivity, knowledge and action, devotion and detachment, setting principles for future society. Lokmanya Tilak openly acknowledged Lord Mahavir's profound impact in instilling the principle of "Non-violence is the Supreme Dharma" in Vedic religions.

The article concludes by suggesting that we can only glimpse the comprehensive worldview of Lord Mahavir, the universally benevolent Mahapurusha. He conquered not just the body, the subjects, the mind, or the heart, but the very soul. Through his words, "All philosophies reside in the Jina," he lived a philosophically expansive life in its entirety. The text advocates for the writing of books in the style of "Saga-related compilations of Buddhist legends" to benefit contemporary beings, allowing the Aryan populace to comprehend Lord Mahavir's all-encompassing life. It aims to counter the misconception that his life was solely one of renunciation and detachment, illustrating that his life was a vast ocean of perspectives from which both Eastern and Western individuals could derive spiritual benefit.