Lord Mahavir biography. lord Mahaveer Jayanti 2024-24
Ancient History of Bhagwan Mahavira or lord Mahaveera. Story of lord Mahaveer. Essay on Bhagwan Mahaveer or Lord Mahaveer.
2537 years ago, on the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, in the city of Kundagrama in the Bihar region, Lord Mahavir was born. His father's name was King Siddhartha and his mother's name was Trishala Devi. Maharaja Siddhartha was a Kshatriya king from the Ikshvaku dynasty and was well known. Trishala Devi was the daughter of the famous and respected emperor Chetak of Vaishali. Lord Mahavir was endowed with knowledge and divine powers from birth.
As soon as he was in his mother's womb, prosperity began to increase in King Siddhartha's household. That is why his parents named him 'Vardhaman'. His childhood was spent with great affection and care. He excelled in his education with great diligence. In his youth, he mastered all the arts and sciences befitting a noble Kshatriya. He was also physically strong. Seeing the social and religious disorder of Hindustan, immense sorrow constantly filled his heart. His heart was the abode of renunciation and compassion. He wished to observe lifelong celibacy, but due to his mother's insistence, he married Princess Yashodadevi, the daughter of King Samara Veer. They had a daughter named Priyadarshana, who was married to a prince named Jamali.
After some time, this Jamali, inspired by Lord Mahavir, became initiated and became the founder of a new sect against him. When Prince Mahavir was 28 years old, his parents attained heavenly abode. At this time, he wanted to become a 'Nirgrantha Muni' (ascetic) as soon as possible for the welfare of the world, but at the insistence of his elder brother Nandivardhan, Prince Mahavir remained a householder for two more years. However, even while staying at home, he continued to follow the rules of ascetics and engaged in self-reflection. He began to donate to the needy. Whoever came to him seeking alms never returned empty-handed. They gave alms as requested. People from all regions came to him for donations.
He alleviated the poverty of thousands. Every day, he gave donations worth one crore and eight lakh gold coins. This practice continued for a year. Prince Mahavir donated three billion, eighty-eight crore, eighty lakh gold coins to the beggars. In the thirtieth year of his life, on Margashirsha Krishna Dashami, Prince Mahavir renounced his family and unparalleled royal splendor and took initiation by breaking ties with his family. When he renounced the world, some temptresses also renounced the world. After taking initiation, Mahavir Swami 'Five Jatars' were born. That is, the ability to know the internal condition of living beings was born in them. Now he understood that until the soul is not perfected, until victory over the vices of the senses and mind is not achieved, it is difficult for his and others' salvation. Therefore, one should first become a great ascetic by intense penance and become omniscient.
According to this idea, he performed great intense penance for sixteen and a half years. He fasted for six to six months without food and water. He meditated standing for months. Completely renounced sleep and laziness. In the course of these penances, he had to endure thousands of unbearable hardships. Wild cowherds set fire to his feet. They pierced thorns into his ears. He was insulted many times. The demon Sangam also inflicted such terrible tortures on him that hearing about it makes the heart tremble. Humans, animals, and gods also gave him various kinds of terrible sufferings. But Mahavir was Mahavir.
He was steadfast and unshakable like Mount Meru. He did not consider his physical demise as an end, but rather played with prefixes while laughing. There are many such prefixes, which Bhagwan Mahavir endured, remarkable; however, due to space constraints, all of them are not described here. Perhaps no one has endured as much hardship as Bhagwan Mahavir. For this reason, Indra named him 'Mahavir'.
Due to the profound impact of intense penance, Lord Mahavir eradicated all his faults, which led to him attaining numerous accomplishments. He became devoid of attachments and omniscient. Now he began to impart teachings to the world. He proclaimed the doctrine of self-righteousness. He vehemently opposed the practice of sacrificing mute and innocent animals in the name of religion. He vigorously preached non-violence and truth. A great social and religious reform movement erupted. Rooted traditions and superstitions were annihilated. The light of reform spread far and wide. Lord Mahavir did not give importance to caste distinctions. He made Shudras his disciples and turned them into holy souls.
He believed that the essence of religion lies in the internal purity of the soul. External practices cannot be the sole means of religious attainment and can also be obstacles. Every living being is entitled to religion. Such was his teaching. His teachings had unparalleled power, which enabled him to enlighten renowned scholars like Indrabhuti (Gautam Swami) by imparting the true meaning of the Vedas and making them his disciples. He transformed great kings and officials into ascetics.
Ascetics and householders from all four castes were Mahavir's disciples. Among Shudras were Maitri and Harikeshi, among Vaishyas were Shalibhadra, among Kshatriyas were Meghkumar, among Brahmins were Indrabhuti, Sudharma, etc. These were his ascetic disciples, and Dhanga, Gaubhadra, Shrenik, Ambad, etc., were sequentially household disciples of the Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya, and Brahmin castes. Lord Mahavir also gave women the rights of religion as men.
A special feature of Lord Mahavir's life is Syadvada. Syadvada is a doctrine. In one thing, there can be different or contradictory aspects from the perspective of different places, times, and conditions. Therefore, it is false to say that one thing is another, not another. Syadvada - this is the name of recognizing the full truth in a thing. It is also called Anekantvada. Through this, the true nature of each object is revealed by examining it from all aspects. Knowing and following this doctrine can bring an end to the hostility and opposition in the world.
Lord Mahavir's teachings prioritize renunciation, self-restraint, and the nature of life substances. For almost 30 years, Lord Mahavir preached. He spent Chaturmas in the principal cities of Rajgriha (Nalanda), Shravasti, and Vaishali. The love of the people of Magadha, Bengal, and Bihar towards Lord Mahavir was greater. King Shrenik (Bimbisara), Nandivardhan, Chand Pradyotan, Chetak, Udayan Prasannachandra, Adinath, and other kings were disciples of Mahavir Swami. Their combined lifespan was seventy-two years. Lord Mahavir attained Nirvana (liberation) in Pavapuri on Kartik Krishna Amavasya.
