Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami was the last and the twenty
fourth Tirthankar of this era in the Jain tradition.
He had a highly developed multifaceted personality.
He scintil-lated with the infinitely intense glow
of the pure soul. All the virtues and powers of
his soul were completely awakened and active. He
had infinite power but, at the same he also had
infinite compassion. Possessing ultimate powers
of the soul, he was unconquerable, fully developed
and absolutely composite human being.
But the seeds of this grandeur and greatness of
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami were sown in the remote past.
He had been doing vigorous penance, indulging in
altruism and practicing deep meditation in many
of his past incarnations. From this angle the incidents
from earlier incarnations of this supreme soul are
very important and inspiring. The first incident
in this sequence is known as "the first touch of
righteousness". It is from the 27th birth before
the final birth of the soul of Bhagwan Mahaveer
Swami. The story of this birth as the village elder
Nayasar, goes like this
First Glimpse of Right Knowledge: Nayasar
In the twenty seventh birth before being born as
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami, this soul was a village
elder and forester working for king Shatrumardhan
for Pratisthan city in the west Mahavideh area.
He used to bring all the wood required for construction
purposes from the forest. One day at noon time all
the workers were taking rest after their lunch.
Nayasar also sat under a tree in order to take the
food he had brought along. Before starting to eat
he saw some ascetics wandering at the foot of nearby
hills. Nayasar thought that these ascetics are wandering
without food or water in this scorching sun. If
they happen to come this side, I will offer a part
of my food to them. I will be benefited by this
simple act of serving guests and my day will become
purposeful.
Innocent Nayasar waited looking at the approaching
ascetics. With deep devotion he offered them this
pure food. When they proceeded towards the town,
Nayasar accompanied them for some distance to show
the way. When Nayasar bowed before the ascetics
before taking their leave, they gave him sermons
of the true path, the simple code of compassion,
pity, simplicity, humility and equanimity. Devoted
and respectful, Nayasar got enlightened and the
seed of righteousness (Samyaktva) sprouted in his
mind. As this is the starting point of the spiritual
evolution, the moment when a soul lost in the darkness
of illusion got the first glimpse of spiritual light,
the counting of the earlier incarnations of the
soul that became Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami begins here.
The Third Birth: Marichi
After completing his age (the age of being,
according to Jainism, is a fixed period determined
by actions in the immediately preceding birth),
the soul of Nayasar was reborn as a god in the Saudharm
Kalpa. He then took birth as Marichi, the son of
Chakravarti (sovereign of six continents) Bharat
in the city of Ayodhya. After hearing the first
dicourse of Bhagavan Rishabhdev he became a Shraman.
But as he could not sustain the rigorous ascetic
codes, he abandoned the dress of a Shraman, made
desired relaxation’s in the harsh code of Shraman
conduct, and became a Tridandi Parivrajak (a class
of mendicants). He started keeping an umbrella and
a pair of wooden slippers. He also used to take
bath and apply fragrant pastes like sandal wood
pastes. However, he still believed the path of Rishabhdev
to be the best. He would sit just outside the divine
pavilion (Samavasaran) of Rishabhdev and when asked
about his strange dress, he would innocently accept
his weaknesses and preach to the people around,
inspiring them to accept the religion of Shramans.
One day Bharat Chakravarti asked Bhagavan Rishabhdev,
"Prabho ! Is there any great being (soul) present
in this congregation who will become a Tirthankar
like you?" Rishabhdev replied, "Bharat ! Outside
this religious congregation sits your son Marichi
dressed as a Parivrajak. After penance’s and other
practices for many reincarnations, he will become
the last Tirthankar of this cycle of time. during
his passage from Marichi to Mahaveer, he will also
be born as Triprishtha Vasudev (the lord of three
regions) in one birth and in another reincarnations
Priyamitra Chakravarti."
Hearing about the astoundingly bright future of
the soul of his Marichi, Emperor Bharat burst with
joy. He went to Marichi with the happy news and
said, "Marichi ! You are extremely lucky, I greet
you as the future Tirthankar."
Marichi was overjoyed hearing the prophecy of Bhagavan
Rishabhdev. His happiness was boundless. But at
the same time, thoughts of the glory of his clan
stirred his conceit. Filled with pride for his clan,
he uttered, "How great is my clan and what a superior
family is that to which I belong! My grandfather
is the first Tirthankar, my father is the first
Chakravarti, and I will became a Vasudev, a Chakravarti,
and finally the last Tirthankar of this cycle of
time. How great, indeed!" And thus Marichi almost
burst with conceit. Slowly he slid down from the
heights of spiritual excellence, and was drawn into
the whirlpool of the egoism of racial supremacy.
According to the Jain tradition, Marichi was the
founder of the Parivrajak school. Marichi used to
say that the Shramans were free of the distortions
of mind, speech, and body, but the Parivrajaks had
these. As such, the Parivrajaks started keeping
a trident, there symbol. In his last days he made
prince Kapil his disciple. From that point on the
derivative Parivrajak school gradually distanced
itself from the Shraman school.
Vishvabhuti
The soul of Marichi moved from the human dimension
to that of gods and back again alternatively for
twelve incarnations. When born as human he became
Parivrajak many a time and observed numerous austerities.
In his sixteenth reincarnation he was born as prince
Vishvabhuti the nephew of king Vishvanandi of Rajgrih.
He became an ascetic and did harsh penance before
breathing his last. In the seventeenth reincarnation
he took birth as a god in the Mahashakra dimension
of gods and in eighteenth as Triprishtha Vasudev.
Triprishtha Vasudev
Queen Mrigavati of king Prajapati of Potanpur gave
birth to an extremely powerful son. He was named
Triprishtha.
Prajapati was an ordinary king of subordinate kingdom
of the Prativasudev Ashvagriv. Triprishtha was a
very brave and valorous young man. When the fame
of his powers and strength reached Ashvagriv he
became apprehensive. He asked his astrologer about
how he would meet his end. The astrologer said,
"The man who would crush your powerful emissary-Chandamegh
and also kill the ferocious lion of Tunga mountain
will be the messenger of death for you." One day
Ashvagiv sent Chanda to Potanpur. When this emissary
misbehaved, Triprishtha threw him out. Then an order
was issued to Prajapati, "A ferocious lion has created
havoc in the Shali area. Immediately proceed to
that area and protect the farmers from the lion.
" When Prajapati prepared to go, prince Triprishtha
requested, "Father ! When we are available you need
not take the trouble to proceed for this insignificant
venture. Your sons can easily take care of that
petty beast."
Triprishtha and his elder brother Baldev Achal Kumar
went to that forest and inquired about the lion
from the local populace. As directed , they proceeded
toward the den of the lion. Disturbed by the noise
of the village folk, the lion came out of its den
and charged towards the princes. Looking at the
approaching lion Triprishtha thought, "The creature
is alone moving on its feet, why do I need my bodyguards
and the chariot? When it dose not carry any weapon,
why should I ? I will face it alone and bare handed."
Triprishtha got down from the chariot and threw
away his weapons. He fought alone and bare handed
with the ferocious men-eater. In the end he caught
hold of the jaws of the lion and tore it apart.
The driver of the chariot of the prince went near
the writhing lion, said a few words of sympathy,
and covered its wounds with medicinal hers. The
dying moments of the beast became peaceful. This
act infused a feeling of affection for the driver
in the mind of the dying lion.
When the driver reincarnated as the chief disciple
of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami, Indrabhuti Gautam, this
lion was born as a farmer. When the farmer saw Gautam
he was infused with a feeling of fraternity and
respect for Gautham. He became Gautham's disciple.
But when he happened to see Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami,
the dormant feelings of fear and vengeance surfaced.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami then revealed the cause of
these dormant feelings by narrating the story of
his earlier life.
Prince Triprishtha conquered the evil king, Prativasudev
Ashvagriv, and established his own empire over three
continents. He became the first Vasudev of this
cycle of time.
Lead in the Ears
Once the Vasudev was enjoying a musical concert
in his assembly. When his eyelids became heavy with
slumber he instructed his bed attendant, "When I
am asleep stop the program?"
After a few minutes Triprishtha closed his eyes
and went to sleep. Everyone present was engrossed
in the lilting music. The concert went on throughout
the night. Suddenly Vasudev was awake. When he heard
the music going on, he turned crimson with anger.
He shouted angrily at the attendant, "Why the music
has not been stopped yet ?" With folded hands the
bed attendant submitted, "Everyone was lost in the
intoxicating waves of the melodious music. Pardon
me, Sire! I too became lost." The negligence in
following his instructions added fuel to the fire
of Triprishtha’s anger. Directing all his anger
on the negligent aide, he said, "Pour molten lead
in the ears of this music buff. Let him realize
the consequences of ignoring the instructions of
his master for the sake of his live for music."
Vasudev’s order was carried out. Writhing with extreme
and intolerable agony the bed attendant died on
the spot.
The soul in the form of Triprishtha accumulated
the bondage of tarnishing Karmas due to its extremely
cruel attitude. It had to suffer the excruciating
result in the form and life as Mahaveer. The aide
reincarnated as a farmer and hammered nails in Mahaveer’s
ears when he did penance as a Shraman. As a result
of the intoxication of power, passion for grandeur,
and cruelty of attitude, Triprishtha Vasudev, after
living his age was reborn in the seventh hell. In
his twenty first incarnation he became a lion; in
the twenty second he again went to the fourth hell,
and after that he was born as Priyamitra Chakravarti
in the twenty third birth.
The Right Direction : Priyamitra Chakravarti
After seeing many auspicious dreams, the queen of
Dhananjay, the ruler of Mukanagari, gave birth to
a son. He was named as Priyamitra. As a result of
his virtuous Karmas and his bravery he conquered
all the six continents and became a Chakravarti.
He enjoyed all these pleasures and grandeur befitting
a Chakravarti. In the end, he got detached and became
a Shraman by taking Diksha (the formal act of renouncing
the mundane life style) from Pottilacharya. For
about ten million years he indulged in serving the
guru, studying and pondering over the scriptures,
meditation, and a variety of austere penance’s.
Though these he continued to wipe out the tarnishing
Karmas acquired during previous lives. Living his
age, he was reborn as a god in the Mahashukra Kalpa
from where, in his next incarnation, he was born
as the son of king Jitshatru of Chhatranagari.
Austere Practices : Nandan Muni
The life of prince Nandan (son of king Jitshatru)
was like a lotus flower in the swamp of passions
and mundane indulgences. The attraction of the beauty
and love of beautiful damsels did not divert him
from his spiritual quest. Finally he became a disciple
of Pottilacharya. Becoming an ascetic, he started
purifying his soul with the fire of penance. He
undertook the tough practice of the twenty step
penance that includes discipline, penance, devotion
for Arihant, service of the ascetic, and other such
purifying acts. As a result of these practices,
he earned the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma (the
Karma that would make him a Tirthankar if future
birth). He spent about a hundred thousand years
as a Shraman with perfect discipline. During this
period he did one hundred and sixty thousand one
month fasts. Living his age with austure Pranat
Pushpottar Viman (a specific dimension of gods).
This was the birth preceding his reincarnation as
Mahaveer.
LIFE AS HOUSEHOLDER
Conditions before the Birth
About 2594 years back (599
BC) in the eastern region of India, a bright source
of spiritual light dawned. He became famous as
Vardhaman Mahaveer.
During the period of Bhagavan
Parshvanath, the feudal system of rule prevailed
in India. However, the beginnings of democratic
system had started appearing on the political
scene. It was the dawn of the localized republics.
After his Nirvana the republics started expanding
and Vaishali emerged as the capital of the federation
of small republics. Maharaj Chetak, a staunch
follower of the Parshva Tradition, was the president
of the Vaishali republic and the federation.
On the northern shore of the
Ganges a large and powerful group of Lichhavi
Kshatriyas favoured democratic system. The six
prominent clans that formed this republic were-Ugra,
Bhog, Rajanya, Ikshvaku, Lichhavi, Jnat, and Kaurav,
and nine chiefs represented them.
Another union was named Malla
and it was divided into two parts-northwestern
and south-eastern. The capital city of north-west
was Kushinara and that of south-east was Pava.
The nine chiefs of the Federation of Malla republics
were also staunch supporters of the democratic
system. Nine Mallas and nine Lichhavis combined
to form a well organized apex union called the
Union of Vajji Republics. The Lichhavis of the
Vaishali republic were Suryanvanshi Kshatriyas,
the descendants of Maryada Purushottam Ram. Before
the advent of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami and the Buddha,
these were famous as the Videhas, but later, the
name Lichhavi became more popular. Still, as a
cultural group they always retained their identity
as the Videhas. In the Jain literature Maharaj
Chetak has been mentioned as Videgraj, his sister,
Trishla, as Videhdinna. Mahaveer has also been
mentioned as Videh Sukumal. All this is indicative
of the higher religious and cultural status of
the state of Videh.
The Royal Family of Vaishali
To the north of Vaishali,
there was a suburb named Kundpur Sannivesh. There
was a colony of Brahmans in the southern parts
of Kundpur. The chief of these Brahamans was Rishabhdatta
and his wife was Devananda. Although a rich Brahman
and a scholar of the Vedas and Vedangas, Rishabhdatta
was a devotee of Bhagavan Parshvanath.
In the northern parts of Kundpur
there was a colony of Kshatriyas of the Jnat clan.
The colony was known as Kshatriya Kundpur. Siddharth
was the chief here. Because of his great valor
and wealth he was respectfully addressed as Raja
or Narendra. He was a highly influential member
of the Vaishali republic.
Trishla, the sister of president
Chetak of Vaishali, was married to Siddharth;
she was also known as Videhdinna and Priyakarini,
Chetak’s elder son Simhabhadra (commander-in-
chief of the army of the Vajji Republic. Maharaj
Chetak had seven daughters-
1. Chelana-Queen of king Bimbsar
Shrenik of Magadh.
2. Shiva-Queen of king Chandapradyot
of Avanti.
3. Mrigavati-Queen of king
Shatanik of Kaushambi.
4. Pradmavati-Queen of king
Dhadhivahan of Champa (mother of Chandanbala).
5. Prabhavati-Queen of king
Udayan (Udayi) of Sindhu-Sauvir.
6. Jyeshtha-Wife of prince
Nandivardhan, elder brother of Bhagwan Mahaveer
Swami.
7. Sujyeshtha-Did not marry.
Became ascetic in Mahaveer’s organization.
Ajatshatru (Kunik), the famous
warrior character in Jain and Buddhist literature,
and king Udayan of Vats were own grandsons of
Maharaj Chetak.
Dreams: The Premonition
One night mother Trishla is
sleeping in her soft and cozy bed. Suddenly she
dreams of auspicious things and gets up. She is
filled with an hitherto inexperienced joy and
ecstasy.
She leaves the bed, sits on
a chair and contemplates, "So many divine and
auspicious things together in my dream. I had
such astonishing dream for the first time in my
life, what does this indicate, indeed some benefits
in the near future?" She goes to king Siddharth
and tells him about the dreams.
King Siddharth beams with
joy and says," Devi! Your dreams are bounteous.
We will gain wealth, pleasures, happiness, and
a son. We shall also have territorial gains. The
interpretation of these dreams indicates that
the son born to you will be the embodiment of
the combined of the combined virtues of all the
virtuous things and signs existing on the earth.
(In scriptures like Acharang and Kalpasutra, it
is mentioned that the descent of the soul that
was to be Mahaveer was originally the womb of
Devananda Brahmani. The fetus was then transplanted
into the womb of Trishla Kshatriyani by god Harinaigamehsi
under instructions from Shakrendra.)
After their morning chores,
Maharaj Siddharth and Devi Trishla came and took
their seats in the assembly hall. His younger
brother Suparshva, his wife and other members
of the royal family also took their seats nearby.
Famous dream readers of Vaishali
arrived into the assembly hall. Maharaj Siddharth
and Devi Trishla greeted the dream readers and
scholars of eight pronged system of augury, and
offered them high seats. The king said to them,
"Scholars of augury! Last night in the early hours
of the morning, Priyakarini, Videhdinna Devi Trishla
saw 14 auspicious dreams. Kindly interpret these
dreams on the basis of your knowledge and experience
of the science of augury and satisfy the curiosity
of all of us."
The augurs listened to the
details of the dreams from Devi Trishla and beamed
with joy. Pondering over, they interpreted the
dreams as follows-
"O king of kings! Maharaj
Siddharth ! According to the science of dreams
there are 72 auspicious dreams. Out of these,
42 indicate of ordinary benefits and remaining
30 of great benefits. The dreams the fortunate
Devi Trishla has seen are the fourteen great dreams
that indicate extremely auspicious and divine
gains in the near future. According to these dreams
Devi Trishla will give birth to a son who will
become a Chakravarti, but.....
Maharaj ! According to the
scriptures there already have been 12 Chakravartis,
the prescribed number for this cycle of time.
However, one Dharm-Chakravarti (Emperor of religion)
is still to be born. As such, all the signs and
circumstances point at the fact that your son,
the benefactor of mankind, will be a Dharm-Chakravarti."
King Siddharth amply rewarded
the dream-readers and sent them home with due
honor.
The Auspicious Birth
It was spring time and the
nature was in full bloom. The atmosphere was clean
and pure. Cool and fragrant breeze infused joy
in every particle in the nature. In the
soundless quietude of the
midnight, the sky was fluorescent with milky moonlight.
The auspicious date was the thirteenth of the
bright half of the month of Chaitra. The moon
was in conjunction with the Uttaraphalguni Nakshatra
(lunar mansion), the sign of victory. At that
auspicious moment Mother Trishla gave birth to
a divine child.
The child was the embodiment
of divine light. As soon as it was born, the world
was filled with radiant light. It appeared as
if, to behold this divine light even the blind
were blessed with eyes. This light penetrated
even the oppressive dense darkness of the hell.
The hell beings forgot their pain. Quarrels, fights,
and battles stopped. Those suffering from a life
time of hunger and thirst experienced a divine
feeling of fulfillment. All around cool and fragrant
breeze started blowing. Patients of chronic ailments
felt cured. Natural enemies too had a surge of
a feeling of mutual goodwill and love. All the
three worlds (heaven, earth and hell) were filled
with waves of happiness. With the birth of the
child, the whole atmosphere underwent a strange
change for sometime.
Hearing the news of the birth
of Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami all the inhabitants
of the dimensions of gods danced with joy. First
of all the king of gods, Shakrendra, came and
bowed before the Bhagavan and then circumambulated
mother Trishla three times. All the gods goddesses
and lower gods (Gandharva, Kinner etc.) sang and
danced and celebrated the birth of the Tirthankar
with gaiety.
According to the Kalpasutra,
on the night of the birth of the child, first
of all 56 divine maidens from all directions (Disha
Kumaris) performed the first cleaning and other
necessary post birth duties. Shakrendra and other
gods, then, took the child to the peak of the
Meru mountain and gave him the first bath and
annointment. They sang songs in honor of the divine
birth.
At dawn a maid named Priyamvada
rushed to king Siddharth and announced, "Congratulations
Sire! Many congratulations! Queen Trishla has
given birth to a male child."
Filled with joy and ecstasy
the king gave away all the ornaments on his body,
save state emblems, to Priyamvada. He also released
her from slavery. Thus, a slave woman was freed
of her life long slavery just because she was
the bearer of the good news of the birth of the
Tirthankar.
Strange Celebrations
King Siddharth called his
prime minister and ordered, "Tell the officer-in-charge
of celebrations to organize unique and special
birth celebrations."
After the kings order, all
the highways, roads, and lanes in the town of
Kshatriyakund were cleared, perfumed water was
sprayed, and buntings, garlands, and leaves were
lavishly put everywhere. Sweets and gifts were
distributed. People danced with joy. The whole
town echoed with felicitous songs and music.
Maharaj Siddharth had an inspiration.
He called the prime minister and said, "The celebrations
of child birth in the royal family are part of
the tradition. However, on this particular occasion
I want something new, something unique."
The minister humbly submitted,
"Sire ! Express your wish and it will be carried
out like an order."
King Siddharth said, "Today
announce a general amnesty. Free all the prisoners;
right off all the debts; distribute money to the
needy; allow fifty per cent subsidy on all purchases
from all traders; open centers for distribution
of food and clothes to the poor, old, and invalid;
and liberate old and sick slaves. Thus let the
townsfolk join the celebrations free from misery,
hunger and bondage.
The order of king Siddharth
was carried out. The celebrations continued for
ten days with unprecedented enthusiasm. People
hailed the occasion and muttered, " Some divine
great soul has descended on the earth to liberate
the world from pain and misery."
When the name giving ceremonies
approached, king Siddharth said to Devi Trishla,
"Devi! There has been a continued increase in
our wealth, power and happiness. As such I think
we should name the child as Vardhaman (ever increasing)."
Queen Trishla consented with
joy, "Maharaj ! You are absolutely correct. This
child is certainly going to accelerate our all
around development."
Vardhaman : The Name
On the twelfth day after the
birth of the child, king Siddharth organized a
great feast and invited all his relatives and
friends. After meals and other state courtesies,
king Siddharth addressed the guests, "Since the
day this child was conceived, our family has been
blessed with increasing goodwill, respect, wealth,
and mutual affection. Cash, gold, and gems have
increased in our treasury. The public has gained
health, peace, happiness, and goodwill. Thus since
the moment this soul has descended, there has
been a continued enhancement in our glory, wealth,
health, and fame. As such I and Devi Trishla have
thought of a befitting name for this child ‘Vardhaman’."
King Siddharth’s suggestion
was unanimously approved and the child was formally
named Vardhaman.
Fearless Vardhaman
One day Shakrendra, while
talking in the assembly of gods, stated, "There
is no person more brave, courageous and strong
than price Vardhaman." Praising an eight year
old boy’s bravery in the assembly of gods was
a strange thing. A skeptic god jokingly said that
Shakrendra was exaggerating. And he proceeded
to test prince Vardhaman.
Vardhaman was playing with
children of his age in the Jnatkhand jungle. The
game was to race to a target tree, climb up, and
come down. The first one to reach the ground was
the winner.
Vardhaman ran the race and
was first to climb the tree. Just then the boys
on the ground, saw a ferocious cobra slithering
up around the trunk of the trunk of the tree and
hissing with its raised hood. The boys stated
trembling with fear and ran away. From a safe
distance they shouted, "Vardhaman, do not come
down. There is a black serpent of the tree-trunk.
Vardhaman, on his way down
saw the snake and also heard the call of his friends.
He shouted back, "Be quiet, and don’t be afraid."
He jumped down. The snake followed and, hissing,
it leapt a Vardhaman. With astonishing agility,
the prince caught the snake by its hood and with
a jerk threw it away like a piece of rope.
After this, the boys started
playing another game called Tindushak. This game
was also a race to a target tree. The winner was
to ride piggy-back on the losers and return to
the base. The god who had come to test Vardhaman
also joined the group in the disguise of a boy.
In the game when Vardhaman won, the god got Vardhaman
on his back and started
back for the base. On way
he transformed himself into a giant. With the
prince on his back the god flew in the sky. The
boys shouted with fear. Vardhaman, undaunted,
hit the giant with his mighty fist. The god cried
with pain and landed back on the ground. Vardhaman
jumped from his back. The culprit disappeared
and in his place appeared a god, who begged Vardhaman’s
pardon.
Test by Indra in the School
When Vardhaman entered the
ninth year of his age, his parents thought that
it was time to impart martial and formal education
befitting a Kshatriya boy to him. They decided
to send him to school.
When he went to the school
he offered his respects to the teacher just like
any other ordinary student. In spite of having
all worldly knowledge since his birth, by offering
respect to his teacher, Vardhaman honored the
age old traditional ideals. The teacher gave him
the first lesson of the alphabets. Vardhaman listened
silently. After sometime the teacher called him
and asked, "Prince! You are just idling, why don’t
you repeat the lesson and memorize it ?" In reply,
Vardhaman recited the full alphabets. The teacher
was surprised.
While he was trying to fathom
the surprising capacity of the little boy, an
old Brahman, with a Tilak on his forehead, entered
the school. The teacher greeted him and offered
a seat. The Brahman asked some complex questions
on grammar. The teacher could not reply and remained
silent looking down in disgust. The Brahman smiled
and said, "Acharya! Please do not bother yourself.
May be, This new student of yours will solve my
problem. If you allow me, I may ask him?"
The teacher consented and
the old Brahman put the complex questions before
Vardhaman. Little Vardhaman, Without hesitating,
gave correct and appropriate answers. The teacher
stared dumbfounded at the
little boy. The Brahman smiled and said, "Acharya!
Please don’t feel insulted. You are not aware
that the sun of knowledge of this era is present
before you as prince Vardhaman. He is the future
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami, the omniscient."
It is believed that Indra
compiled his questions and Vardhaman’s answers
into a book named Aindra Vyadaran (the grammar
of the Indra).
THE FAMILY Jnat clan to
which king Siddharth belonged, was same as the
Ikshvaku clan to which belonged Bhagavan Rishabhdev.
Siddharth and Rishabhdev both also belonged to
the Kashyap family. It is a matter of pride for
the Ikshvaku clan and Kashyap family that 22 Tirthankars
came from the same family.
Devi Trishla was the sister
of Chetak, the president of the Vaishali republic.
Because of the paternal connection with Videh
area she was also known as Videhadatta (dinna);
her third name was Priyakarini.
Vardhaman’s uncle or king
Siddharth’s younger brother was Suparshva. Siddhartha’s
elder son was Nandivardhan. Nandivardhan’s wife
was Jyeshtha. Vardhaman also
had a sister named Sudarshana. When and to whom
Sudarshana was married is not mentioned anywhere.
However, her son Jamali was a famous figure.
Although surrounded by unlimited
wealth and grandeur, prince Vardhaman’s mind and
attitude was completely detached and purified
by the fire of discipline. It was like a lotus
flower in the pond. The power and glory of the
kingdom never attracted him. Even his marriage
to Yashoda, daughter of prince Samarvir, was due
to the affectionate persuasion and pressure by
and from his parents. Yashoda gave birth to a
daughter, who was named Priyadarshana. Prince
Jamali married Priyadarshana.
According to Acharang Sutra, three names of Vardhaman
became very famous:
1. Vaddhamane—This name, Vardhaman, was given
by his parents.
2. Samane—Saman or Shraman
indicates his natural unblemished intellect.
3. Mahaveer—This indicates
his unique bravery, courage, and tolerance. This
name was given by the gods.
Another of his names was Sanmati.
Because of his purity of thoughts he also became
famous by his name. Other names of Bhagwan Mahaveer
Swami, found in canonical literature are as follows:
Jnatputra, Vaishlik, Vir, Ativir, Antya Kashyap,
etc.
Death of Parents
Detached from all mundane activities and desirous
of becoming an ascetic in order to pursue the
spiritual goal, Mahaveer was keeping the matter
pending due to his earlier resolution—"As long
as my parents are alive I shall not think of taking
Diksha."
When Mahaveer became 28 years old his parents
took the last vow of continued meditation without
food. They gradually purified their souls and
left their mortal bodies with a serene mental
state. After their death Vardhaman told his elder
brother, now king Nandivardhan, about his decision
to become ascetic. Nandivardhan replied in a choking
voice, "Prince! Loss of parents followed by your
renunciation; how will I be able to bear these
shocks at the same time? Honor my desire and postpone
your program for two years."
Vardhaman accepted his elder brother’s request
and stayed back for two more years. But during
this period he lived like an ascetic. Indulging
in spiritual practices with due discipline, he
prepared himself for his impending renunciation.
Knowing about his resolve for renunciation, gods
from the edge of the universe arrived and put
forth the formal request, "O benefactor of the
world! Your resolve is great. Please proceed on
the path of renunciation and propagate religion
for the welfare of the world."
Prince Vardhaman gave charity three hours everyday
for one year. Rich or poor, whoever came to Vardhaman
was awarded whatever he desired. At the end of
one year Vardhaman was ready for renunciation.
THE LIFE AS AN ASCETIC
The Great Renunciation
It was the tenth day of the dark fortnight of
the month of Margshirsh. Prince Vardhaman had
observed a ritual fast of two days. A palanquin
named Chandraprabh was prepared for his great
renunciation. Sometime in the afternoon, Vardhaman
came out of the palace and climbed into the palanquin.
The procession with the palanquin proceeded to
Jnatkhand garden in the north-east of Kshatriyakund.
The palanquin was placed near an Ashok tree. Vardhaman
got down from the palanquin. Thousands of eyes
were staring at the prince. His golden body was
adorned with a beautiful dress and scintillating
ornaments. The next moment he had removed all
the ornaments and his dress. The only cover on
his body was a piece of cloth resting on his shoulders
and provided by Indra. Vardhaman pulled out his
hair in five fistfuls. Indra collected his dress,
ornaments, and hair in a golden vessel.
After this he uttered in his deep resonant voice,
"Namo Siddhanam," (I bow to the Siddhas or liberated
souls). Then he took the vow of ascetic life,
"I take the vow of practicing equanimity all through
my life and abandon all intentional sinful activities."
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami, accepting the rigorous
ascetic vow, resolved, " In my ascetic life I
will remain equanimous in all conditions and circumstances.
I will tolerate every affliction of predicament
caused by man, god, demon or animal equally, no
matter how fearsome it is. As long as I do not
attain omniscience, I will continue to tread the
fire paved path of purity with unflinching and
firm steps." A wave of reverence started and thousands
of heads bowed with reverence and thousands of
the throats uttered in unison, "Victory be to
Shraman Mahaveer."
THE REMOVAL OF POVERTY
After the austere vow the Mahashraman acquired
Manahparyav Jnan which allowed him to perceive
the feelings and thoughts of all beings. His heart
was filled with equanimity and compassion. His
face beamed with a spontaneous smile. He walked
with firm and steady steps towards the jungle
without turning around or hesitating.
Suddenly there was a feeble call from behind.
The call of a pain filled heart retards the movement
of a Mahashraman also. Next moment a wiry and
weak Brahman, moving briskly with the help of
a stick, arrived and fell at the feet of the Mahashraman.
Tears were flowing from his eyes and there was
an expressive pain on his pitiable face. he uttered
humbly, "Prince Vardhaman! Kindly liberate me;
give me something; remove my poverty."
Shraman Mahaveer recognized the old man to be
Som Sharma of Brahmankund. Long back he used to
come to king Siddharth’s court. The charitable
king extended him all help by giving what he needed.
He was happy then. But he was not seen after the
king’s death.
Som Sharma said, "Prince, I wandered around from
one state to another after the death of king Siddharth,
my mentor. Wherever I went, my bad luck followed
me. After two years of wandering in vain, I have
returned home this morning. On my return my family
members informed me about your year long charity.
Everyone got what he desired, but I, the ill-fated,
got nothing from your charitable hands. Prince!
As soon as I reached home I came to know that
abandoning everything, you have become ascetic
only today. Prince Vardhaman, have pity on this
poor destitute. Remove my poverty with your kind
hands."
Mahaveer was filled with compassion, but today
he had nothing to give. He suddenly thought of
the divine cloth on his shoulder. He tore it into
two and gave one to the Brahman. The Brahman was
filled with joy. He took this piece of cloth to
a mender and inquired about its value. The mender
said, "Brahman! How did you get this divine cloth?
It is just a part of a whole. If you could bring
the other part also, I will mend it back to its
original form and you could sell it for a hundred
thousand gold coins."
The greedy Brahman ran back to Mahaveer and followed
him wherever he went. After about a year the remaining
piece of the divine cloth fell from Mahaveer’s
shoulder. Som Sharma picked it up, got it mended,
and sold it to king Nandivardhan for a hundred
thousand gold coins.
The Period of Practices: The Afflictions Rejection of the Divine Help –
The day after his renunciation Mahaveer left
Jnatkhand garden. At sunset he arrived near a
small village called Kurmargram (identified as
Kaman Chhapra today). He stopped under a tree,
and, standing rock still, started his meditation.
After some time a cowherd arrived there with his
oxen. He wanted to go into the village to do his
job of milking cows. He approached the meditating
Shraman and said, "Ascetic! Please look after
my oxen while I go into the village to milk cows.
I will return soon." Without waiting for a reply
the cowherd went away. The oxen, untethered and
uncared for, strayed into the nearby jungle. On
his return when the cowherd did not find his oxen,
he asked, "Ascetic! Where are my oxen?" Mahaveer
remained silent. The cowherd grumbled and started
looking around. He searched all around throughout
the night in vain. The oxen, in the mean time,
returned and lay down near Mahaveer. When the
exhausted cowherd returned in the morning and
beheld this scene, he lost his temper. He took
Mahaveer to be a thief in disguise, whom he had
caught just before the thief was to flee with
the oxen that he must have hidden during the night.
Without a second thought he started hitting Mahaveer
with the rope he carried for tying the oxen. The
hard sisal rope left large inflamed welts on Mahaveer’s
naked body. Even this excruciating pain did not
distract Mahaveer from his meditation.
Just then an overpowering divine person appeared
and said in his commanding voice, "Stop it, you
ignorant idiot! You are committing a grave crime.
This person is no thief. He is the son of king
Siddharth. He is Shraman Mahaveer, a great yogi
and a meditating ascetic." The cowherd fell prostate
at the feet of Mahaveer and, repenting for his
ignorance, begged his pardon. The divine person
who had interfered was none else but the king
of gods, Indra. He bowed before Mahashraman. Disturbed
by the inflamed marks on the body of Mahaveer
he said, "Prabhu! These ignorant people will continue
to cause you pain due to their foolishness. Please
allow me to be in your attendance to provide you
protection. Mahaveer replied in all humility,
"Devraj ! You should know that an ascetic on the
spiritual path reaches the goal of purity with
the help of his own practice, courage, and discipline.
It is never with the help of the king of gods
or the king of demons that a soul sheds all its
Karmas and becomes an Arhant or gets liberated."
Full of reverence and praise, the king of gods
bowed before Shraman Mahaveer and departed.
The Afflictions by Shulpani –
Wandering Mahaveer one day arrived near a small
forlorn village on the banks of river Vegvati.
Outside the village on a small hillock stood a
temple surrounded by scattered heaps of bones
and skeletons. Considering it to be an appropriate
place for his practices, Mahaveer sought permission
from the villagers. The villagers informed him
that this forlorn village was once a prosperous
town. The ferocious lance wielding demon, Shulpani
Yaksha, who dances and laughs on heaps of bones,
had turned this Vardhaman village into Asthik-gram,
the village of bones. The temple under questions
was his temple and he did not allow any one to
stay there. If at all someone stayed he did not
come out alive. The villagers tried to dissuade
Mahaveer from staying in the temple.
But Mahaveer was determined to root out fear
and sow the seeds of courage. He insisted, and
by evening he was standing at a spot within the
temple, completely lost in his meditation. When
darkness descended, the air was filled with eerie
sounds. Shulpani, the Demon with a lance, appeared
in the courtyard and started emitting fearful
trumpeting noise. He was surprised to see a human
being standing fearlessly in meditation. He produced
thunderous roar that shook the thick walls of
the temple. But the ascetic still did not move,
nor did he show horrifying atrocities. A mad elephant
appeared and goaded Mahaveer with its pointed
tasks. It lifted him in his trunk and tossed around.
When this had no effect on Mahaveer, a horrible
ghost appeared and attacked Mahaveer with its
large canines and claws. Next appeared a black
serpent that attacked Mahaveer with its large
venomous fangs and toxic breath. Finally he caused
extreme pain in seven delicate spots within Mahaveer’s
body (eyes, ears, nose, head, teeth, nails, and
the back). Mahaveer had an endless capacity to
tolerate pain. Even this extreme agony failed
to pierce the serenity of his composure.
Drained of all his demonic energy, Shulpani became
apprehensive. He thought that he was facing some
divine power much stronger then he and he was
heading towards his own destruction. All of a
sudden a divine spiritual light heading towards
his own destruction. All of a sudden a divine
spiritual light illuminated his inner self. Slowly
his anger subsided, fear dissolved, and a feeling
of goodwill took over. He touched Mahaveer’s pardon.
Mahaveer opened his eyes and, raising his humility
begged Mahaveer’s pardon. Mahaveer opened his
eyes and , raising his hand, said, "Shulpani !
Anger supplements anger and love begets love.
If you do not cause fear, you will become free
of all fears always. So destroy the poison ivy
of anger."
Mahaveer spent his first monsoon-stay at Asathik-gram.
The Embodiment of Love
Leaving Asthik-gram Mahaveer proceeded in the
direction of Shvetambika town. The trail to this
town passed through a dense and desolate forest.
When some shepherds saw Mahaveer entering the
forest they shouted, "O Monk, stay put for a minute.
This is a dangerous trail. There is a black serpent
with venomous gaze on this trail. His hissing
and gaze burn plant and trees. Even flying birds
and standing humans drop dead. Please leave this
trail and take a different route."
Mahaveer heard this fear filled call of the shepherds.
With a serene smile he raised a hand as a gesture
of assurance. With firm steps Mahaveer went near
the snake-hole. All around human and animal skeletons
could be seen. There was not a single green leaf
as far as the eye could see. Close to the snake-hole
was a delepidated temple. Mahaveer stood in the
shade of this temple and started his meditation.
After some time the giant black serpent came
out of its hole hissing fiercely. It had seen
a human being after a long time. The man was standing
firm and fearless with closed eyes. The serpent
was surprised. It looked at Mahaveer with its
venomous red eyes. Like flames from a ball of
fire, its poisonous eyes emitted waves of venom.
It hissed awesomely. But all this had no effect
whatsoever on Mahaveer. The serpent was astonished,
"Till today every man I came across has been consumed
by my first venomous hiss and this man stands
still, absolutely unmoved."
The serpent glanced at the sun and once again
focused its gaze at Mahaveer and hissed at him
with renewed anger, but in vain. It slithered
from the line of the expected fall of the body
and than with all its force sank its fangs in
Mahaveer’s toe and injected all its venom. It
drew back and waited expectantly again in vain.
The angry serpent, vexed further by its failure
stung Mahaveer twice again. All its three attacks
were wasted. Mahaveer stood undisturbed. The serpent
was astonished to see milk oozing out instead
of blood from the spots where it has stung on
Mahaveer’s toe .
Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami was standing unmoved.
His face was glowing and on his lips was a charming
smile, like a blooming rose. His eyes reflected
the inner compassion.
The serpent continued to stare with surprise.
Confused by its failure it was lost in its thoughts.
Involved in his spiritual pursuits, Mahaveer
uttered din his deep and tranquil voice, " O Chandakaushik
! Open your inner eyes. Be calm and remember your
past life. do not inject venom of anger in your
life. Rise above the deadly poison of anger.
Mahaveer opened his ambrosia filled eyes. When
the serpent met his gaze, it felt as if a wave
of peace and tranquillity had engulfed its inner
self. It appeared that its venom was slowly vanishing.
It was lost in deep thoughts. Its dormant memory
started unfolding and it acquired Jatismaran Jnan.
Incidents from its past two births surfaced in
its memory. It realized that it had suffered excruciating
pain and degradation due to extreme anger and
acute attachment during those births. The heat
of repentance melted its vices.
Its spirit embraced enlightenment and mind became
tranquil. It touched the pious feet of Bhagwan
Mahaveer Swami and resolved, "O Lord ! Now I will
not look at any one at all throughout my life.
I will not eat anything. I will not drink also.
I will just put my mouth in the hole and lie still
in the shadow of your feet. I will now at one
for all my sins committed during the last three
births and improve my future."
Knowing that the serpent had become harmless,
throngs of people started arriving from nearby
villages. They worshipped the serpent-god by offering
milk and sweets. But the serpent was lying, keeping
its hood in the hole, in meditation without even
a trace of movement . Swarms of ants were attracted
by the sweets. They started stinging the serpent.
But the serpent tolerated these afflictions with
equanimity. It silently took the last vow (fast
unto death). It tolerated the agony of hunger,
thirst and the stings of ants. Its body became
almost perforated, but it did not react at all.
After fifteen days it died and was reborn as a
god in the Sahasrar dimension.
Quashing of the Flames
Once, leaving Shravasti, Shraman Vardhaman was
going to Haliddug village. On the way he saw a
large banyan tree. finding it suitable, he went
under it and started his night meditation. It
was winter and a cold wind was blowing. Gaushalak
was also following him. As Gaushalak could not
tolerate the piercing wind, he shifted to the
other side of the tree. After some time some wayfarers
also stopped under the tree. They collected dry
wood and started a fire to cook food. They spent
the night there and kept the fire burning.
The fire slowly spread and reached the spot where
Mahaveer was standing. Gaushalak shouted a warning.
But Mahaveer had no Early in the morning they
broke camp and went away. The fire was left burning.
Slowly it spread and engulfed the surrounding
dry twigs and leaves gathered under the tree.
The wind was blowing in the direction of meditating
Mahaveer. The fire slowly spread and reached the
spot where Mahaveer was standing. Gaushalak shouted
a warning. But Mahaveer had no awareness besides
that for his soul. He was unmoved by the heat
of the approaching flames. He was busy quashing
the ultimate fire, the fire of rebirth. The flames
reached him and scorched his feet. Even this acute
pain did not reach the depth of his tranquillity.
After some time the fire subsided on its own.
Torture by Kalahasti
Leaving Chorak village Mahaveer arrived at the
out skirts of Kalambuka village. This village
was ruled by two brother, Megh and Kalahasti.
Although they were landlords and chieftains. they
were still involved in unlawful activities like
looting the neighboring kingdom. Tying them with
ropes, he tortured them inhumanely. When he still
could extract no information from them be ordered
them, to be taken to his elder brother, Megh,
for further torture and interrogation.
Shackled like criminals, They were produced before
Megh, who felt as if he was looking at a known
face. He suddenly recalled that once he had seen
prince Vardhaman at the court of king Siddharth.
This shackled spy seemed to have an uncanny resemblance
with the prince. He came closer and recognized
that the person in bondage was none else but prince
Vardhaman who had become a Shraman. He fell at
the feet of Mahaveer and, with tears of repentance
in his eyes he begged to be forgiven. When released
Mahaveer resumed his journey.
Among the Aborigines
It was the fifth year of practices of Bhagwan
Mahaveer Swami. He moved into the Radh (or Ladh)
country. This area was also known as Vajra Bhumi
or Shubhra Bhumi and was inhabited by scant and
scattered population of rustic aborigines. Gaushalak
also followed Mahaveer wherever he went. The people
of this area did not know anything about ascetics
and their ways. They stared in astonishment when
they saw a naked person standing like a statue
at godforsaken places. When they did not get any
response or even reaction on shouting at him,
they would get irritated and hit him with sticks,
lances, bones and stones. Some on his body. Shraman
Mahaveer equally tolerated all these tortures
and continued his advance toward purity.
He wandered from one place to another and once
in a while came across small villages. Not so
very often he would enter a village to beg food
and mostly got dry and stale food. However, most
of the time he went without any food. People would
curiously stare at him and wild dogs would pounce
on him and bite. For their crude entertainment,
the aborigines would pick up Mahaveer and throw
him on the ground. Mahaveer spent almost five
months in that area during his first visit. Once
again, during the ninth year of his practices,
Mahaveer returned to this area for about six months.
Once, while moving from Siddharthpur to Kurmar
village Mahaveer was passing through a dense forest.
All of a sudden Gaushalak saw a Tapas ascetic
in an opening on one side of the trail. On closer
observation he saw that the hermit was busy doing
some strange penance. He was standing facing the
sun with his head hanging down and arms straight
up. Long strands of his hair were hanging on the
ground like roots of some old banyan tree. Due
to the heat of sun rays, small insects, falling
from his unkempt hair were writhing, and out of
compassion, he was picking them up and putting
them back in his dense locks of hair.
Gaushalak could not control his laughter seeing
this strange activity. Jokingly he said, "O abode
of insects! What do you think you are doing? You
are gathering insects and considering this act
to be a penance." The hermit remained calm the
first time. But when Gaushalak did not refrain
from making biting remarks, the hermit looked
at him with his burning eyes and said, "O vicious
person! My name is Vaisyayan Tapas and I am the
doom of ignorant fools like you." Instead of jolting
him to sanity, this scornful comment drew an insulting
laughter from Gaushalak. The hermit now took a
few steps back and angrily started emitting fire
from his mouth (this is a miraculous power called
Tejoleshya, acquired through long and harsh penance).
Within no time, a ball of fire rushed towards
Gaushalak, who retreated with fear and ran to
Mahaveer shouting in panic, "Sire! Save me. This
Tapas will burn me." Reaching Mahaveer, Gaushalak
fell at his feet.
Hearing the pathetic call of Gaushalak, Mahaveer
was moved. Turning back he saw the approaching
fire ball. From the compassionate heart of Shraman
Mahaveer flowed a spontaneous stream of cool pacifying
energy. When the nectar-glance of Mahaveer fell
on the fire-ball, it subsided. The angry hermit
was astonished to see his fire-ball extinguished.
He recognized Mahaveer as a much greater and more
benevolent power than he, and said, "Pardon me,
O embodiment of benevolence! I did not know that
this man was your disciple." Gaushalak was saved
from his imminent death.
Gaushalak was relieved. He asked, "Sire! What
does this abode of insects say?" Mahaveer replied,
"He was just going to turn you to ashes with his
fire-power. You were saved by me by my pacifying
power. Do not disturb anyone in the future."
Afflictions by Kataputna
It was an incident from the sixth year of the
period of spiritual practices of Shraman Mahaveer.
It was the month of Magh, the peak of winter season.
Chilling and biting winds were blowing. During
the quiet part of the night in a lonely jungle,
Mahaveer was standing in meditation. All of a
sudden, a witch named Kataputna came there. Seeing
Mahaveer deep in meditation she became angry for
no apparent reason.
But there is nothing that happens without reason.
There must certainly been some antagonism from
some previous birth. As soon as the feeling surfaced,
Kataputna lost her reason, and, in order to take
her revenge of some forgotten deed from some past
life, she started torturing Mahaveer.
She took the form of a giant and ominous looking
Parivrajak with long strands of hair. Filling
ice cold water in her braided hair she sprayed
that freezing water on Mahaveer. The atmosphere
was filled with the moaning sound of icy winds
and demonic laughter of the witch. It was a horrific
scene.
Mahaveer, elevated completely into a higher spiritual
realm, remained unmoved and serene. At last the
witch accepted her defeat. She bowed to the feet
of Shraman Mahaveer and left. As a result of his
total absorption in the self and his high purity
of soul, Mahaveer acquired the special mental
powers of perceiving the whole physical world
at will.
In the Prison
During the sixth year of his practices, Mahaveer
one day went to the Kupiya village in the state
of Videh, east of Vaishali. The village guards
caught him and, taking him to be a spy, put him
in prison. There were two female mendicants in
the village. When they, Vijay and Pragalbh, heard
that a spy disguised as a nude ascetic had been
apprehended, they came to see him. Shraman Mahaveer,
tied up, was standing in meditation in the prison.
The mendicants recognized him and became sad.
They approached the guards and said, "You call
yourself guardians of the state and people and
you fail to distinguish a thief from a honest
citizen. You do not find any difference between
a Shraman and a smuggler. For your information,
you are torturing Shraman Vardhaman, the ascetic
son of king Siddharth. Have you no fear of the
wrath of the gods?"
With this revelation the soldiers started trembling.
They, at once, released Mahaveer and sought his
forgiveness. Shraman Mahaveer just raised his
palm a gesture of pardon and assurance and left
for some other solitary place.
Deadly Torture by Sangam
One day Shraman Mahaveer was doing a special
one night meditation in the Polash temple in Pedhal
garden outside the Pedhal village. In this practice
one makes his body, mind, psyche and soul absolutely
still and tranquil. Observing the high degree
of engrossment in meditation, Indra exclaimed,
"You are great, Prabhu Vardhaman! Today you have
no equal as an ascetic and serene, brave, and
equanimous spiritualist." Sangam, a god in Indra’s
assembly, was peeved at this praise of a moral
being. He retorted, "If Devraj promises not to
interfere, I can disturb the concentration of
Mahaveer. It is a child’s play for me."
Indra remained silent, through unwillingly. Considering
it to be affirmative, Sangam, with all his cunning
and power came to Polash temple. One after another
he crated twenty almost fatal predicaments to
disturb Mahaveer’s meditation.
He created a terrible sand storm an in no time
Mahaveer was submerged in a heap of sand. Mahaveer,
in his unshakable determination did not even close
his eyes. As soon as the storm stopped, arrived
a swarm of ants. Mahaveer’s body was covered with
biting and stinging ants, but he remained still.
After this, innumerable mosquito’s attacked Mahaveer’s
body. After mosquitoes, came an attack by white
ants turning him into a termite-hill. Scorpions
crawled over his body and pierced it with poisonous
stings. This was followed by biting mongoose,
large cobras, and giant field rats.
After all this, appeared a white elephant that
goaded Mahaveer with its large pointed tusks.
This elephant than lifted Mahaveer in its trunks
and tossed him up. When Mahaveer fell on the ground,
it crushed him with its legs. This was followed
by an attack by an ominous looking ghost. Then
a tiger attacked and gored Mahaveer with its sharp
talons.
When all these painful afflictions failed to
disturb Mahaveer’s meditation, Sangam took a different
approach. He created a realistic illusion of Siddharth
and Trishla weeping and wailing profusely. But
this too could not penetrate Mahaveer’s iron resolve.
Sangam then lit a fire almost touching Mahaveer’s
feet and started cooking. After this he took the
form of a bird catcher and hung a number of cages
on Mahaveer. The birds attacked Mahaveer with
their beaks and talons through the gaps in the
cages. Blood oozed from these new wounds. Then
came a storm, torrential rain, and hail-storm.
Nothing could disturb the rock hard resolve of
Mahaveer.
Now came a giant whirlwind; lifting and swirling
everything that came in its path. Mahaveer’s body
swirled but his mind remained stable. At last
Sangam himself lifted a large mace and hit Mahaveer.
It was a heavy blow that buried Mahaveer in the
ground up to his knees but he did not even blink.
After all these physical blows, Sangam resorted
to a psychological attack. He arrived in his divine
form riding a Viman (space vehicle) and said to
Mahaveer, "Why are you suffering so much and still
standing on the earth. Come, I will take you to
heaven with this mortal body of yours." Mahaveer
did not respond.
Lastly Sangam produced sparsely clad fairies
who approached Mahaveer and undulated their voluptuous
bodies invitingly. He also created an atmosphere
conducive to lust. Mahaveer never even shifted
his icy gaze and his body remained reactionless.
All these twenty afflictions drained Sangram’s
energy and he was tired. On the other hand even
after tolerating these painful tortures Mahaveer
remained poised in his elevated state of meditation.
Refuge to the Demon King
In the Vindhya range there lived a hermit named
Puran. As a result of his rigorous penance’s he
was reincarnated as the king of demons, Chamarendra.
He had a bloated ego due to his natural powers
and miraculous capacities. When through his demonic
perception, he came to know that the king of gods,
Shakrendra, had more glory and luxuries, his ego
was hurt. He decided to subjugate the king of
gods. He prepared to attack the abode of Shakrendra,
the Saudharm Viman, with his demonic arsenal.
But in case he faced defeat he wanted support
from someone more powerful than him. On searching
he found that Shraman Mahaveer was the most suitable
person.
He immediately rushed to Sumsumarpur, where Mahaveer
was standing in meditation. After bowing to Mahaveer
he said, "Bhante! I, demon king Chamarendra, am
going to fight with Saudharmendra Shakra, please
protect me." Saying thus and without waiting for
a reply, he rushed to the assembly of gods and
challenged the king of gods. Fro a moment Shakrendra
was taken aback but when he saw that it was demon
king Chamrendra, he calmly lifted his most potent
weapon, the Vajra, and launched it at the demon
king.
As the Vajra sped in the direction of Chamarendra
it emitted bright sparks and thunderous sound.
Afraid of this fierce weapon Chamarendra fled
in the direction of the tree under which Mahaveer
stood in meditation. When Shakendra realized where
Chamarendra was heading, he became worried about
any possible damage the Vajra could cause to Mahaveer.
He at once rushed after fleeing Chamarendra to
defuse the Vajra. It was a strange seen in the
sky; first the demon king crying with fear, then
the sparkling Vajra followed by the king of gods.
The demon king transformed himself into a tiny
being and took refuge behind Mahaveer’s feet.
He uttered, "Prabhu! I am under your protection,
kindly save me." As the Vajra was bout to hit
him and explode, Indra caught it and disabled
it Chamarendra was trembling with fear and Shakrendra
was boiling with anger. Mahaveer lifted his open
palm and blessed them both. Indra said to Chamarendra,
"Demon king! What you have done is unpardonable?
But by taking refuge with Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami
you have tied my hands. As he has forgiven you
I am leaving you unharmed. You may go." The demon
king, free of the fear of fear and the king of
gods, free of anger, bowed before Bhagwan Mahaveer
Swami and left for their respective abodes.
The Deliverance of Chandana
From the capital town Kaushambi, king Shatanik
ruled over the state of Vats. His chief queen
Mrigavati was the daughter of Maharaj Chetak of
Vaishali republic. Anga was neighboring state
and its capital was Champa. The king of this state
was Maharaj Dadhivahan. His queen Dharini was
the younger daughter of Chetak. Dharini had a
daughter named Vasumati who was very beautiful
as well as graceful.
Once, when king Dadhivahan had gone with his
army to assist a neighboring king, Shatanik attacked
Champa. The cruel soldiers of Kaushambi plundered
Champa. The general and a great Charioteer of
Kaushambi, Kakmukh was attracted more by beauty
rather than riches. He entered the palace and
kidnapped queen Dharini and Vasumati. On the way
when Kakmukh intended to violate her chastity,
queen Dharini committed suicide. When Vasumati
also threatened to do so, he had a change of heart.
He took her to his home as a daughter. When his
wife did not tolerate Vasumati, he was persuaded
by Vasumati to auction her in the slave market
