Message Of Mahavir

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Message of Mahavir" by T.K. Tukol, based on the given pages:

The text, published as part of the Tirthankar Mahavir Smruti Granth, commemorates the 2500th Nirvana Mahotsava of Bhagavan Mahavir. It highlights Mahavir as a significant teacher who reiterated timeless principles essential for individual spiritual advancement and public peace: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Achaurya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-possession/non-attachment). The book emphasizes that these doctrines are not new but have been taught for millennia, with Jainism being an independent and original system, distinct from others. Evidence suggests Jainism predates Mahavir and Parsvanatha, with references to Tirthankaras like Rishabhadeva in ancient scriptures like the Yajurveda and Bhagavata Purana.

Mahavir, born Vardhamana to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishaladevi in Vaishali, demonstrated remarkable prowess from childhood, earning him the name "Mahavir" (great hero). Despite a royal upbringing, he possessed a profound philosophical and spiritual inclination. While Digambara tradition states he remained unmarried, Svetambaras believe he was married with a child. Both traditions agree on his renunciation of the world at a young age to become a naked monk, seeing nudity as crucial for detaching from worldly objects and enduring suffering to achieve liberation. He believed inner peace stems from external peace achieved by eliminating attachments.

Mahavir's teachings assert that omniscience is attained by eradicating knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, obstructing, and deluding karmas. He preached for 30 years and achieved salvation (moksha) at Pavapuri, engrossed in meditation during Diwali. His message remains relevant, emphasizing four invaluable aspects of human existence: human birth, instruction in Dharma, belief in Dharma, and energy in self-control.

The universe, according to Mahavir, is eternal and not created by an external agency. Individuals are the architects of their own destiny and salvation, solely responsible for their actions and their consequences. During his asceticism, Mahavir meditated on the attributes of a liberated soul: infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss. He endured hardships like rain, storms, and hunger, recognizing them as pertaining to the body, not the soul. After twelve years of penance and meditation, he attained omniscience by practicing pure meditation on the bank of the river Rjukula.

The text addresses criticisms that Jainism is atheistic. It clarifies that while Jainism doesn't believe in a creator God, it strongly affirms the existence of the soul, which in its pure state possesses divine attributes. The critique of atheism in India also refers to those who don't accept the Vedas, a category many religions fall into due to their own scriptural traditions. Mahavir's religion is thus theistic but not in the conventional sense of a creator God; rather, it's a religion that grants every soul the freedom to achieve its own salvation.

Mahavir's philosophy asserts that our thoughts, deeds, and actions entangle us with karmas, which can be auspicious or inauspicious based on the purity of our activities. The text quotes Shakespeare to illustrate that "there is nothing either good or bad, but our thinking makes it so," underscoring the power of the mind in shaping our reality. Liberation is achieved by eradicating karmas, allowing beings to reach a pure state and potentially be reborn as humans. Individuals are masters of their own fate, creating their own heaven or hell.

Himsa (violence), in any form, whether mental or physical, degrades human qualities. Mahavir identified Himsa, born of passions like attachment, anger, greed, pride, and delusion, as an injury to oneself and others. Transgressions of vows like truthfulness, honesty, celibacy, and aparigraha are direct outcomes of these passions. Therefore, Mahavir advocated for non-injury to beings, abstaining from lying, stealing, renouncing property, women, pride, and deceit, and living under self-restraint.

The influence of Mahavir's teachings is evident in Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of Ahimsa and Truth, where Ahimsa is the means and Truth is the end. The text stresses the contemporary relevance of these doctrines, especially in the face of prevalent violence, dishonesty, and sexual promiscuity.

The book highlights the negative impact of promiscuity, exacerbated by contraceptives, and reiterates Mahavir's emphasis on Brahmacharya (celibacy) for liberation, identifying it as a difficult but essential vow. The text also addresses dishonesty in public life, tracing it to greed, and quoting Mahavir's advice to control desires, as greed is insatiable and leads to misery.

Aparigraha, the principle of voluntary limitation on one's possessions, is rooted in both material and spiritual considerations. It aims to prevent wealth concentration, which leads to societal unrest and contradicts the doctrine of equality. Mahavir proposed a twofold path for achieving societal harmony: mutual help (parasparopagraho Jivanam), emphasizing that a selfish life hinders this, and creating a society based on equality and tolerance. Einstein's quote about humans being for each other reinforces the idea of mutual aid. The growing gap between the rich and poor is attributed to greed and the accumulation instinct, and the doctrine of peaceful coexistence necessitates equitable distribution.

Jainism provides a practical solution to life's miseries. The path to liberation is paved with Right Perception, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct. Jainism, unlike some faiths that focus solely on devotion, knowledge, or action, emphasizes the harmonious integration of all three for liberation. Faith without knowledge and knowledge without faith lead to misconceptions, while conduct without the other two is aimless. These "Three Jewels" serve as a guide, illuminating the path.

Right faith and knowledge foster self-restraint, which is crucial for self-conquest. Mahavir's advice to subdue the self is paramount for happiness in this life and the next. Just as clearing ash reveals a fire, self-control purifies thoughts and actions, allowing one to perceive the true nature of the self.

The text concludes by stating that Jainism offers a practical way of life, not demanding unattainable leaps but a gradual journey. It's a pilgrimage with inherent dangers, where caution and the "eternal lamp" of knowledge guide one to liberation. The ultimate goal is to attain the purity of the soul, transforming the individual self (Atman) into the supreme self (Paramatman) by shedding external and internal attachments. Purity is unattainable without truth and Ahimsa, and true religious benefit comes from inner purity. Liberation is the only path to eternal bliss. Passions obscure the soul's inherent attributes of infinite perception, knowledge, bliss, and power, and must be overcome through right understanding and faith. The text uses vivid analogies, like a blurred mirror, to illustrate how enslavement to passions prevents experiencing the soul's joy.

Finally, it emphasizes that the knowledge of the Atman is bliss, while ignorance leads to endless transmigration. One's destiny is determined by personal effort, with virtues leading to higher existence and vices to lower states. The journey is a gradual ascent through spiritual stages to ultimate beatitude. The text paints a realistic picture of the soul's struggle in the mundane world, akin to a jiva caught in a cycle of dangers and temptations, but highlights Mahavir's own renunciation and austerity as the path to liberation, urging followers to embrace the Three Jewels for guidance.