Vardhaman Mahaveer, his life and Jainism

Jain Community, Imphal *

Mahavir Jayanti Mahotsav celebration at Thangal Bazar, Imphal on April 4 2012 :: Pix - Bunti Phurailatpam

On the 29th March 2018, we are going to celebrate 2617th Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Mahaveer as Mahaveer Jayanti or Mahaveer Janam Kalyanak. Vardhaman Mahaveer, also known as Bhagwan Mahavir, was the twenty-fourth Tirthankara (ford-maker) of Jainism. It is a common misconception that Vardhaman Mahaveer was the founder of Jainism. He was not the founder but a reformer who reformed and refined previous teachings of Parshwanath, the 23rd Jain Tirthankar.

Celebrations will begin early in the morning with Prabhaat Pheri at 04:15 AM from Digambar Jain Mandir. This will be followed by Procession (Rath Yatra) at 08:15 AM from Digambar Jain Mandir, Paona Bazar, proceeding towards Ema Keithel, PC Jain & Sons, Axis Bank Main Branch (Thangal Bazar), M G Avenue, Marwari Dharamsala, and then towards SBI onwards to Kangla Park and return to Jain Mandir via Moreh Market & Paona Bazar. Procession will be followed by Prayers and Abhisheka at the Jain Mandir from 11:00 AM Onwards. Shops owned by Jain Community Members will remain closed for the day.

Birth and Childhood: Belonging to Kashyapa gotra, Mahavira was born into the royal Kshatriya family of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala of the Ikshvaku dynasty. This is the same solar dynasty in which Hindu epics place Rama and the Ramayana, and in which the Buddhist texts place the Buddha, and the Jains attribute another twenty-one of their twenty-four Tirthankaras over millions of years.

According to the Digambara Jains, Mahavira was born in 582 BC. Mahavira’s birthday, in the traditional calendar, falls on the thirteenth day of the rising moon in the month of Chaitra in the Vira Nirvana Samvat calendar. The Kalpasutra, a popular text in Jainism, cites Kundagrama as the place where he was born. This site is believed by tradition to be near Vaishali, a great ancient town in the Gangetic plains.

The identity of this place in the modern geography of Bihar is unclear, in part because people migrated out of ancient Bihar for economic and political reasons. Jain texts state that, after Mahavira was born, the god Indra came from the heavens, anointed him, and performed his abhisheka (consecration) on Mount Meru. These events are illustrated in the artwork of numerous Jain temples and play a part in modern Jain temple rituals.

Early life: Mahavira grew up as a prince. Both of his parents were followers and lay devotees of Parshvanatha. Jain traditions do not agree on whether Mahavira ever married. According to the Digambara tradition, Mahavira’s parents wanted him to marry Yashoda but Mahavira refused to marry.

Jain texts portray Mahavira as a very tall man, with his height stated to be seven cubits (10.5 feet) in Aupapatika Sutra.

Renunciation: At the age of thirty, Mahavira abandoned the comforts of royal life and left his home and family to live an ascetic life in the pursuit of spiritual awakening. He undertook severe austerities of fasting and bodily mortifications, meditated under the Ashoka tree, and discarded his clothes. There is a graphic description of his hardships and humiliation in the Acharanga Sutra.

According to the Kalpa Sûtra, Mahavira spent the first forty-two monsoons of his life at Astikagrama, Champapuri, Prstichampa, Vaishali, Vanijagrama, Nalanda, Mithila, Bhadrika, Alabhika, Panitabhumi, Shravasti, and Pawapuri. He is said to have lived in Rajagriha during the rainy season of the forty-first year of his ascetic life. This is traditionally dated to have been in 491 BC.

Omniscience: After twelve years of rigorous penance, at the age of forty-three Mahavira achieved the state of Kevala Jnana (omniscience or infinite knowledge) under a Sâla tree, according to traditional accounts. The details of this event are mentioned in Jain texts such as Uttar-purâòa and Harivamúa-purâòa. The Acharanga Sutra describes Mahavira as all-seeing. The Sutrakritanga elaborates the concept as all-knowing and provides details of other qualities of Mahavira. Jains believe that Mahavira had the most auspicious body and was free from eighteen imperfections when he attained omniscience. The Digambara, however, claim that after attaining omniscience, he sat fixed in his Samavasarana, giving sermons to his followers.

Disciples: The Jain texts state that Mahavira’s first disciples were eleven Brahmins who are traditionally called the eleven Ganadharas. Gautama was their chief. Others were Agnibhuti, Vayubhuti, Akampita, Arya Vyakta, Sudharman, Manditaputra, Mauryaputra, Acalabhraataa, Metraya, and Prabhasa. Mahavira’s disciples are said to be led by Gautama after him, who later is said to have made Sudharman his successor.

These eleven Brahmin–Ganadharas, as the early followers, were responsible for remembering and verbally transmitting the teachings of the Mahavira after his death, which came to be known as Gani-Pidaga or Jain Agamas. According to the Jain tradition, Mahavira had 14,000 muni (male ascetics), 36,000 aryika (nuns), 159,000 sravakas (laymen), and 318,000 sravikas (laywomen) as his followers. Some of the royal followers included King Srenika (popularly known as Bimbisara) of Magadha, Kunika of Anga, and Chetaka of Videha. Mahavira initiated the mendicants with the Mahavratas (Five vows). He delivered fifty-five pravachana and answered thirty-six unasked questions (Uttaraadhyayana-sutra).

Teachings: Vardhman Mahaveer’s teachings belonged to the ancient and pre Aryan Shraman tradition. He did not believe in the creation theory and the mighty God. According to him no one has created the universe and it is there from infinitive past and will remain there forever. Only changes will take place. It was almost a scientific approach of Vardhman Mahaveer. According to his philosophy anybody can become a God by destroying his Karmas. He told: instead of finding out an imaginary God, try to become a God, the highest stage of mankind. One of his famous doctrine is Anekantvad i.e. pluralism.

According to it, every truth has many angles or viewpoints. Every observer observes some truth and he is not totally wrong. But the whole truth could be told only after considering all the viewpoints. He never believed in classes and castes. According to him, a person becomes great by his own deeds and it has nothing to do with in which community, class, or caste he is born. One of his famous quotes is: Eko Manuss Jaai which means that all mankind is one. Even a outcaste could join as a monk in Vardhman Mahaveer’s Sangh. Chandana, the slave woman also became a nun and eventually she became the head of all nuns in Vardhman Mahaveer’s sangh.

Vardhman Mahaveer’s teachings were based on the Right Knowledge, Right Faith, and Right Conduct, which are called as Three Jewels of Jainism. Some of his teachings include:

Ahimsa (Non Violence): Not to kill any living creature, nor to cause for killings and avoid all types of violence, even hurting others by words. Vegetarianism became a must thing for the disciples. However, he was not against the unavoidable unknowingly killings in routine works by layman like farming etc. He was not against the violence by layman in protection of oneself, his family, village, or the nation.

Truth: To speak truth only, not to lie. But one should not speak a bitter truth, which will hurt others.

Non Stealing: One should not steal anything, which belongs to others. One should not take the things, which are not given by the possessor.

Non possession: One should not possess things more than his requirements. Excess money should be donated for noble cause.

Celibacy: One should control his sexual desires. One should not involve in extra marital relations.

Nirvana/Death: For Vardhman Mahaveer the final goal of life for everybody was to reach nirvana (Moksh) or salvation. Nirvana was nothing but breaking the cycle of birth, life and death. Vardhman Mahaveer attained nirvana at the dawn of a no moon day at Pavapuri in Bihar when he was 72 years old. The Digambara Jain tradition believes this happened in 510 BC. His jiva (soul) is believed in all Jain traditions to be in Siddhashila (abode of the liberated souls).

According to Jain texts, Mahavira’s nirvana (death) occurred in the town of Pawapuri (Bihar). His life as a spiritual light and the night of his nirvana is remembered by Jains as Diwali on the same night that Hindus celebrate their festival of lights. On the night that Mahavira died, his chief disciple Gautama is said to have attained omniscience. The accounts of Mahavira’s death vary among the Jain texts, some describing a simple death but others describing grandiose celebrations attended by gods and kings.

According to the Jinasena’s Mahapurana, the heavenly beings arrived to perform his funeral rites; in others he is described, at age 72, to be giving his final preaching over six days to a large crowd of people. Everyone falls asleep, only to awaken to find that he has disappeared, leaving only his nails and hair, which his followers cremate.

Today, a Jain temple called Jal Mandir stands at the place of Mahavira’s nirvana (moksha). Jain artwork in temples and texts depicts the final liberation and cremation of Mahavira, sometimes symbolically shown as a miniature pyre of sandalwood and a piece of burning camphor.

(Issued by Jain Community, Imphal)