Mahavira Bhagwana

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Mahavira Bhagwana" in English, based on the provided pages:

The book "Mahavira Bhagwana" by the JAINA Education Committee details the life and teachings of Lord Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara of Jainism.

Context of Mahavira's Birth: Approximately 2600 years ago, Indian society was in a state of religious and social decline. The caste system (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) was breaking down. Brahmins, being the educated class, considered themselves superior, while Shudras were relegated to menial tasks. Rituals, meant to symbolize renunciation, had become violent with animal sacrifices being common to appease gods.

Lord Mahavira's Early Life: Born in 599 BCE on the 13th day of the waxing moon in Chaitra (celebrated as Janmakalyanak), Lord Mahavira was born into a Kshatriya royal family in Kundalpur (or Kshatriyakund) in present-day Bihar. His mother was Trishala, sister of King Chetak of Vaishali, and his father was Siddhartha, also from a royal lineage. He had an elder brother, Nandivardhan, and a sister, Sudarshana. Due to an extraordinary increase in wealth and prosperity in the kingdom during his mother's pregnancy, he was named Vardhaman, meaning "increasing" or "growth."

Vardhaman was courageous, strong, knowledgeable, and loving from childhood. He excelled in his studies. A notable incident highlighted his fearlessness: while playing in a garden, other children fled from a venomous snake coiled around a tree, but Vardhaman calmly caught and removed it. His bravery earned him the name Mahavira, particularly after he faced a fierce demon with valor and patience.

Renunciation and Spiritual Pursuit: Vardhaman understood early that material possessions and worldly pleasures were temporary and often led to suffering and enslavement. He resolved to renounce his wealth and worldly life. He postponed this decision until after his parents' death at the age of 28. Even then, at his elder brother's request, he delayed his renunciation by two years. During this period, he began donating his wealth to the poor and needy.

At the age of thirty, he finally renounced the world and became an ascetic. He spent twelve years and six months in rigorous penance, meditation, and self-control, largely in silence. He was extremely mindful not to cause harm even to animals, birds, or plants. His practice involved extensive fasting and collecting alms by going from door to door, accepting hardship with equanimity.

Key Experiences during Sadhana: During these twelve and a half years of spiritual practice, Mahavira achieved several milestones:

• He pacified the venomous snake Chandakoushik with love.
• He patiently endured the pain of a farmer unknowingly hammering nails into his ears while searching for a bull.
• He broke a fast of five months and twenty-five days by accepting a meager offering from Chandanbala.
• He faced harassment and adverse conditions from illiterate villagers with peace and forgiveness.

Attainment of Keval Gyana (Omniscience): Through this intense sadhana, he destroyed the four ghati karma (karma that obscures the soul's true nature). He realized infinite perception, infinite knowledge, infinite conduct, and infinite energy. This state is known as Keval Gyana, and he became known as Lord Mahavira or Mahavirswami.

Preaching and the Fourfold Community: For the next thirty years, Mahavirswami wandered throughout India, preaching the path to liberation he had realized. He taught that all beings – rich or poor, king or subject, man or woman, ascetic or prince, touchable or untouchable – were equal and eligible for spiritual progress. Many women also renounced the world to follow his path in search of ultimate truth. He established the Chaturvidh Sangh (fourfold community) consisting of monks (sadhu), nuns (sadhvi), male devotees (shravak), and female devotees (shravika).

Jain Scriptures: The teachings of Lord Mahavira were compiled by his followers into 12 scriptures called the 'Ang Agam Sutras'. Further explanations and commentaries were provided by Shrutakevali scholars in various texts. All these scriptures are collectively known as Jain scriptures and are identified by the name 'Agam'. These texts, preserved through oral tradition, were first written on palm leaves about 1500 years ago.

Path to Liberation (Moksha): Lord Mahavira's ultimate goal was to guide beings towards liberation from the cycle of birth and death, achieving ultimate peace, known as Nirvana or Moksha. This requires destroying karma and freeing oneself from its bondage. Attachment, ego, illusion, hatred, and anger are identified as sources of karma that bind the soul to repeated births. He taught that through Right Faith (Samyak Darshan), Right Knowledge (Samyak Gyan), and Right Conduct (Samyak Charitra), one can achieve liberation from karma and attain spiritual peace.

The Five Great Vows (Mahavratas): To achieve self-welfare, Lord Mahavira prescribed the observance of five great vows:

1. Ahimsa (Non-violence): Not to cause harm to any living being through thought, word, or deed, under any circumstances. No one has the right to cause suffering to any life.
2. Satya (Truthfulness): To always speak the truth, and to remain silent if the truth would cause pain or suffering to others.
3. Achaurya (Non-stealing): Not to take anything that is not rightfully given.
4. Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity): To abstain from indulgence in sensual pleasures and worldly desires.
5. Aparigraha (Non-possession/Non-attachment): To become completely detached from possessions, people, and worldly pleasures, and to avoid accumulation.

Jains strive to incorporate these principles into their lives to the best of their ability, aiming for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Monks and nuns strictly adhere to these vows, while householders observe them with certain limitations.

Impact and Legacy: Lord Mahavira simplified religion, freeing it from complex rituals. His teachings emphasize the eternal beauty and oneness of the soul. He taught the meaning of human life and a positive outlook towards it. He described the human body as the dwelling place of the soul, which is filled with infinite knowledge, perception, happiness, and energy. He stressed the inherent equality of all living beings, regardless of size, shape, form, or spiritual development, and the importance of respecting them and cultivating love.

Mahavirswami did not accept God as a creator, protector, or destroyer, nor did he endorse devotional practices to deities for personal gain. His teachings can be broadly categorized into:

1. Life Vision: Emphasizing that every living being cherishes its own life, just as we cherish ours.
2. Life Purification: Achieving complete purity of the soul through Ahimsa, self-control, and penance.
3. Transformation of Conduct: True change in outlook and purity of life is achieved only through a change in behavior, leading to a simple, honest, and sincere life.
4. Self-Effort: Mahavirswami advocated for self-exertion to achieve self-control and righteous conduct, rather than relying on divine grace. True effort lies in resolutely fighting and conquering desires, anger, greed, ego, and illusion.

Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana (final liberation) at the age of 72 in 527 BCE in Pavapuri, leaving behind his mortal body. His Nirvana occurred on the day of Deepavali, the last day of the Hindu and Jain calendars.

His message of Ahimsa, Satya, Achaurya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha is filled with universal compassion. His philosophy of Anekantavada (multiplicity of viewpoints) and Syadvada (conditional predication) encourages understanding different perspectives. Like other Tirthankaras, he established the system of the Chaturvidh Jain Sangh to keep Jainism alive. His teachings are preserved in the Agam Sutras.

The book concludes by highlighting that Jainism believes every human being has the potential to achieve liberation. Freed souls are considered Siddhas or Gods. Lord Mahavira's message of Ahimsa, truth, non-stealing, chastity, and non-possession is a message of universal compassion.