non violence - The Jain Foundation

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NON- VIOLENCE : A WAY OF LIFE(A sketch of Bhagwan Mahavir’s life and teaching)

By : Dr. Kumarpal Desai

JAYBHIKHKHU SAHITYA TRUST13/B, CHANDRANAGAR SOCIETY

JAYBHIKHKHU MARG. PALDI,AHMEDABAD-380007 (GUJARAT)


Non-violence : A Way of Life(A sketch of Bhagwan Mahavir’s life and teachings)By Dr. Kumarpal Desai

Publisher :Shree Jaybhikhkhu Sahitya Trust,13/B, Chandranagar Society,Jaybhikhkhu Marg, Paldi,Ahmedabad-380007 (Gujarat)

Printed By :

PrefaceIt is indeed a pleasure to establish rapport with the

wider community of Indians living abroad and especiallythe Jain community, through the medium of books ordiscourses on Jainism and on Jain saints. It strengthensthe sacred bond that binds the souls together in peace andharmony. Having offered Stories from Jainism, Kshamapanaand the illustrated primer, Tirthankar Mahavir, I am gladto approach my reader this time Non-violence : A Way ofLife, a brief life-story of Mahavir, highlighting his mainteachings. I am delighted to note here the Stories fromJainism is now on the list of books prescribed whereverJainism is taught as a subject in secondary schools inLondon.

In this book I have tried to narrate several incidents inthe life of Bhagwan Mahavir which are as much inspiringand fascinating as they are instructive. I have also tried toanalyse and explain his teachings in a simple but logicalmanner, keeping in mind a new audience which isconversant neither with the Gujarati language nor thetradition of Jainism. I hope this will serve as an appetiserto modern readers in moulding their attitude to life; and,like the great Preacher, Mahavir, every young man will forma broad-based human outlook, free from considerations ofcaste, creed or colour. Mahavir’s preaching of non-violencewill teach love and self-restraint and Syadvada will teachrespect for other persons’ viewpoint.

I shall feel happy if the message of Bhagwan Mahavirwill reach my fellow bretheren abroad through this modestpublication.

I am deeply indebted of Shri Swetambar MoortipoojakJain Boarding. I am also thankful to Smt. Muktibahen Shahand Shri Dineshbhai Shah for their kind support.

– Kumarpal Desai2 3


V……‰ n‰˘¥……h… ¥… n‰˘¥……‰, V…Δ n‰˘¥…… {…ΔV… ±… x…®…Δ∫…Δ i… *i…Δ n‰̆¥…n‰¥…˘®… Ω˛+Δ, ∫…Æ˙∫…… ¥…Δn‰̆ ®…Ω˛…¥…“ÆΔ̇ **

( I bow down my head in obeisance toMahavir, who is worshipped by the great gods,who is the god of gods and to whom gods praywith folded hands.)

Before Bhagwan Mahavir was born, everysoul upon this earth was in intense distress. Afew men in their vain belief in a so-called heaventurned life on earth into hell. Men had come togive up all effort and to believe in fate entirely.Their hands, legs and minds had become inert.What will be–they thought.

In those days temples had become hunts oftrickery and deceit. all religious life was reducedto the performance of sacrificial rites andofferings. The way to redemption lay throughsacrificial killings, people believed. Many livingbeings were consumed by the blazing fire ofsacrifices. Thousands of beasts lost their lives

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on the altar. Kings waged constant wars for pettygains. Scriptures spread the false belief that todie fighting in such wars was the easiest pathto salvation. Many women lost their husbands.Countless innocent children became orphans.Only a small group of persons had the access toright knowledge. Even the right to performpenances was restricted to a small group ofpeople. What knowledge could the poor and lowlyhave ? Only a certain class of people could readscriptures. Others were not allowed to evenlisten to them. If someone of the lower casteslearnt scriptures secretly, setting in a cornermolten lead was poured into his ears. The life ofwomen was full of toil and drudgery. Woman wasregarded as nothing more than a householdcommodity. She was not treated as an individualin her own rights. A beast of burden could easilyescape but a woman could not win freedomexcept through death. All the four classes treatedeach other with fee l ings o f host i l i ty andcontempt. The high-born were conceited. Thedistress of the downtrodden and the untouchableknew no bounds. They had no roof over theirheads. They suffered silently the ceaselessoppression of the high-born. Aggression wasregarded as a sign of bravery and he who soughtfriendship was regarded as a coward. To bathe in

the blood of one’s enemies was regarded as the heightof bravery. Man was groping in the dark. Naturegroaned terribly. All living beings were in agony. Asif in answer to this universal fright Bhagwan Mahavirwas born almost 2589 years ago. Light spread overthe hellish scene on earth.

In that era there were a large number of states inIndia. Some states were ruled by kings and someothers were ruled by powerful groups of men. Vaishali,the capital of the state of Videha, stood on the bankof the river Gandaki. This city had a number ofsuburbs. One of the suburbs was Kundagrama. KingSiddhartha ruled in Kundagrama. He was aKshatriya but he believed in peace and in the ultimatetruth. He followed the ahimsa, non-violent way of lifeof Tirthankar Shri Parshvanatha, who had lived 200years ago. One night queen Trishaladevi, the wife ofKing Siddhartha, had fourteen dreams. Having thesedreams, the queen woke up. She related the dreamsto King Siddhartha. The king called an assembly ofthe experts who knew the science of dreams and heasked them to expound the meanings of these dreams.The following are the portents of these fourteen greatdreams.

The first dream of the saffron coloured lionsuggested that the king’s son would be matchless infearlessness, bravery and generosity and that having

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destroyed passions, he would protect all living beingsjust as a lion, destroying all the mad elephants,protects the forest.

The second dream of the elephant with four tusksmeant that his son would preach the fourfold religion.This fourfold religion pertains to the Shramana (theJaina monk), the Shramani (the Jaina nun), theShravaka (the Jaina layman) and the Shravika (theJaina laywoman).

The third dream of the bullock implied that onthis earth the chariot of religion had got stuck up inthe mud of irreligion, but the king’s son would pullthe chariot of religion out of the mud and thuspropagate religion.

The fourth dream of Lakshmidevi (the goddessof Wealth) implied that having given alms all the yearround he would enjoy the endless splendour of thestatus of the Tirthankara.

The fifth dream of the nest implied that he woulddeserve the place of honour among living beings inall the three worlds, that is, he would be revered inall the three worlds.

The sixth dream of the moon implied that hewould spread tranquility in the world which was sofull of distress. He would propagate the religion offorgiveness which gives peace as the moon does.

The seventh dream of the sun implied that hewould be radiant like the sun, distroying the darknessof ignorance and speading the light of knowledge.

The eighth dream of the flag implied that he wouldbe like a flag in the king’s family.

The ninth dream of the pitcher implied that hewould be the treasure-house of all riches, all powersand all acquisitions.

The tenth dream of the lake implied that like alake he would remove the mental and physical fatigueof the people who are tired in spite of the fact thatsome of them rest on soft velvet beds, and that hewill quench the thirst of people lying thirsty on thebank of the lake of samsara (worldly life).

The eleventh dream of the ocean implied that,like the ocean, he would possess the gems of vastknowledge and faith.

The twelfth dream of the gods’ abode implied thathis fame would ascend up to that high abode. Hewould be adorable to gods.

The thirteenth dream of the mine of gems impliedthat he would be the mine of the gems of virtues.

The fourteenth and last dream of the firelightimplied that he would serve as the light in the soul.Thus, it was prophesied that a leader of the masses,

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one possessing many virtues, would be born to thequeen. His name would be famous in all the ninecontinents.

At that time farmers went to King Siddharthaand said, “We do not know why but the fertility of theland has increased.”

Cowherds went and said to the queen, “A miracle! Cows give more milk. More grass has grown inpastures.”

Forest-dwellers said, “The mango-trees are thesame but they abound in the yield of mangoes. Plantsare bending down with the luxuriance of flowers andtrees with the abundance of fruits.”

Citizens said, “This is a prosperous year. Theoccasions of mourning have been few. Pre-maturedeaths haven’t occurred. We experience more andmore a new impulse of joy and vitality.”

Hearing this, King Siddhartha said, “If theforecast of the astrologers comes true, a great soulwill make himself mainfest in the world. My heart isalso stirred with delight, I don’t know why.”

Queen Trishaladevi said, “My mind is also stirredwith joy. Shall we name the child Vardhaman ?” Theword Vardhaman itself suggests an increase in thequantity of the good in life.

The great soul now in the mother’s womb thought,“My stirrings give indeed great pain to my mother. Ishouldn’t be a cause of it.” Thinking thus, the soul inthe womb became stable. It stopped stirring. MotherTrishala’s pain in the womb subsided but her mentalanxiety increased. She suspected that somethinginauspicious would happen, wept bitterly andswooned. The whole royal family now was full ofsorrow. And, the great soul yet in the mother’s wombthought, “What I did for their good, has caused grief.”So it began its stirrings, the mother’s joy knew nobounds. This happened when the soul had been inthe womb for six and a half months. But the greatsoul was deeply moved at this and thought, “Howwonderful is a mother’s affection for her child ! Thetrouble the child causes actually gives her pleasure.In this samsara there is no virtue greater thandedication to one’s mother. I am yet in the womb.Mother has not even seen my face. But how muchaffection she has for me !” At that time BhagwanMahavir made up his mind that he would not takeinitiation during the life-time of his parents. Thusthe first lesson Bhagwan Mahavir taught was oneshould always have feelings of loyalty and of lovetowards one’s mother.

Of the twelve months of the year the month ofChaitra is considered to be the best. Shri Krishna has

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said in the Bhagavadgita, “®……∫……x……Δ ®…v…÷®……∫……‰%Œ∫®… *” (Amongmonths I am the month of Madhu, the month ofChaitra.) It was on the eighth day of the dark half ofthis month of Chaitra that Bhagwan Rishabhadevawas born. Under the constellation Hastottara at mid-night on the thirteenth day of the bright half of themonth Chairta, Vardhaman was born.

56 celestial maidens joined the celebration of thisbirth. 64 Indras performed the infant’s ablution withholy water. Even when he was a child, Mahavir wasbrave and knew no fear. When he saw seven,Vardhaman was once playing with children the gameof ambali-pipali among the branches of a tree. Atthat time a snake coiled itself round the trunk of thetree. The children on the ground took to their heels.Those on the tree clung to the branches, tremblingout of fear. But Vardhaman’s mind knew no fear. Hewas not at all afraid of the snake. He caught the snakeat its tail-end, shook it and threw off. The secondlesson that Vardhaman teaches is that of fearlessness,intrepidity. Without fearlessness, there cannot bespiritual development. All frighten him who fears.Nobody can stand up to a man who is fearless.

In order to test Vardhaman’s fearlessness one godtook the form of a nauseating person. When he waseight, Vardhaman was playing with other childrenon the outskirts of the city. The rule of the game was

that the winner winner would sit on the back of theboy, who had lost the game. The god assumed theform of a child, came to play there and according tohis own plan he lost the game. He let Vardhaman siton back. But all of a sudden he transformed himselfinto a giant as tall as seven palm-trees. The goduttered sharp loud shrieks. A mass of matted hairshot out of his head. His eyes became flaming red.Other children ran away out of fear. But there wasno fear in Vardhaman’s eyes nor did he show any othersign, not even a tremor. He was tranquil as ifmajestically riding an elephant. He so struck the god’sshoulder with his first that the god cried out in pain.He gave up his hideous form of a giant and became asmall child. Here, the whole city was full of fears, notsimply because Vardhaman was the prince of KingSiddhartha, but because people loved him so much.All saw Vardhaman returning safely, and heaved asigh of relief. He was sitting on the god’s shoulder.Some ran forward to beat up the god.

Vardhaman said to them, “No, he should not bebeaten. It is the greatest punishment to an evil-doerif he repents of what he has done. Who are we topunish him ? So, forgive him and let him go.”

All obeyed Vardhaman. Now his little adventurewas over and the god departed. At the time the godsaid, “The great god Indra admired your intrepidity

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and heroism but you are even more intrepid and heroicthan we thought. Really, you are Mahavir.”

Mahavir was put to the school. But to souls ofthis high order, schools and such things do not havemuch to offer. The teacher, who was astonished athis knowledge, said, “Trying to teach Mahavir is likeholding up a lamp to see the sun.” In this verychildhood Mahavir thought deeply and found that thesamsara was full of unhappiness. He saw thateveryone liked to cause unhappiness to others but noone likes even a shadow of unhappiness for himself.He thought, “As we love our soul, so all love theirsouls. As we like to live, so all like to live.”

B¥…Δ J…÷ x…… h…h……‰ ∫……ÆΔ ˙, V…Δ x… ÀΩ˛∫… i… ÀEÚS…h… *+ÀΩ ˛∫ … …∫ …® … ™ … Δ S … Ë ¥ … B™… … ¥ … xi … Δ ¥ …S … ı … h …™ … …**

(This is the substance for the knowledgeable thatno harm should be done to anyone. If this true natureof ahimsa (non-violence) is understood, it is enough.)

It is the bonds of illusion and jealousy, attachmentand aversion, that cause happiness and unhappiness.Vardhaman saw that even the most hated of enemiesdoes not do the harm which uncontrolled attachmentand aversion do. As the chicken comes out of the eggand the egg comes out of the chicken, so greedproduces craving, craving more greed. However greatthe strength and the power may be, they are notgreater than love and mercy. He decided to find the

empire of love and mercy in this world. Extraordinarywere the thoughts of Vardhaman. In those daysKshatriyas fought terrible battles and killed countlessenemies. Mahavir said, “What is the use of externalbattles ? Fight your own selves. Conquer your ownselves. Then only you can get true happiness.”

+{{……h…®…‰¥… V…÷VZ…… Ω˛, ÀEÚ i…‰ V…÷VZ…‰h… §…VZ…+…‰ *+{{ … …h…® … ‰ ¥ … +{{ … …h… Δ V…<k… … ∫… ÷Ω ˛ ® … ‰Ω ˛B**

(He said, “He who wins himself wins a greatervictory than he who wins thousands of warriors in abattle difficult to conquer.”)

Thinking thus, Mahavir conceived a desire torenounce the world but this pained his parents. WhenMahavir was 28, his parents died and he preparedhimself for initiation. But his elder brotherNandivardhana felt that the loss of their parents wasjust a recent blow and so he would not be able to bearhis brother’s separation so soon. Vardhamanrespected the desire of his Nandivardhan andcontinued to live in the fold of the samsara two yearslonger. But to him the city or the forest made nodifference. Even in his royal palace he lived the life ofan ascetic. Sitting in a lonely place in the vast royalpalace, he passed most of his time in meditation. Thusa year passed. From the second year he started givingalms. Every morning he gave alms for three hours.He gave away in alms gold, silver, riches and grains.

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He fed the hungry. Under the Ashoka tree he himselftore five handfuls of hair. He took great vows whichwould bind him too. Lead the life of a monk. “Fromtoday through thoughts, words or my physical self, Iwill not do an evil deed, I will not have an evil deeddone and I will not help anyone do an evil deed. I willperfectly purify the soul.”

At the moment everyone was torn betweenfeelings of joy and of sorrow. All were deeply movedin their hearts. Nandivardhan, the elder brother,knew the intentions of Vardhaman. So, he gave hisconsent though with a heavy heart. But at the timeof Vardhaman’s departure, he wept.

Vardhaman’s mind would not any longer betempted by mundane thoughts. He had his gaze seton the path of austerity. That is why in a mement heturned his home into a forest and a forest, his home.At the age of 30 Vardhaman renounced the world.This was a journey for the realization of the soul andthe victory over the sense organs. He put off his royaldress. At that moment the great god Indra cast a finedevine raiment on his shoulder.

Mahavir set out. At that time a Brahmin namedSomasharma came there. He asked for alms. Mahavirhad nothing he would give. So he tore one half of thedevine raiment given by Indra which was on hisshoulder and gave it to him. The Brahmin left with

the devine raiment. That devine raiment was verycostly. A darner said to the Brahmin, “If you bringthe other half of the devine raiment. I will darn itinto a full piece. It will fetch you a fine price.”

The Brahmin returned and started trudging alongclose on the heels of Mahavir. He didn’t dare to askfor the raiment. But it so happened that once the otherhalf of the devine raiment slipped off Mahavir’sshoulder. The Brahmin picked it up. Mahavir did notcare for it and afterwards he never accepted a newdevine raiment.

V…‰ ®…®……<+®…<Δ̨ V…Ω˛…<, ∫…‰ V…Ω˛…< ®…®……<+Δ *

(He who abandons the attachment for possession,abandons the possession completely.)

The following incident reveals not only Bhagwan’sabundant mercy but also his utter non-attachmentto his own physical self. On the first night of hisinitiation this incident occurred which put hisequanimity to the test. Prince Vardhaman was nowmonk Vardhaman. From the royal bed of flowers hehas stepped on to the rugged and thorny path ofausterity. One night while he was standing in theKausagga posture outside Karmar town, a cowherdasked him to look after his bullocks for a short timewhile he was himself away. When the cowherdreturned, he did not find his bullocks. Mahavir was

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now in meditation and since he got no answer fromMahavir, the cowherd searched for his bullocks onthe river bank, among the hills, in the deep foliageand in every nook and corner. He did not find hisbullocks anywhere. Dejected and weary he came backwhere Mahavir was and there he saw his bullockssitting beside Mahavir.

He flared up in anger. He took the bullock’s ropeand started lashing Mahavir with it. But at thatmoment god Indra appeared and challenged him. Hesaid to the cowherd, “How foolish you are ! He, whomyou think to be a thief, is the son Vardhaman of KingSiddhartha. Casting off the life of a prince, he has setout to purify his soul. Do you think he would stealyour bullocks ? And you are hurting the Lord.”

The cowherd, the offender, fell prostrate at thefeet of Mahavir. Mahavir’s eyes brimmed over withabundant compassion. The great god Indra said, “Suchfoolish worldly persons will waylay you on the difficultpath of austerity. So, let me live in your presence andremove the obstacles. During the period of yourpenance for the next twelve and a half years I will beby your side to look after you.”

Having heard what the great god Indra said,Mahavir said, “Never has this happened and neverwill it happen in the life of one who seeks to realizethe soul. Self-realization or self-liberation is not to be

attained with the help of others. This is the ideal ofone who seeks to realize the soul. ‘BM……‰ S…Æ‰̇ J…MM… ¥…∫……h…EÚ{{…… ‰’(He proceeds alone and by his own efforts attainsliberation.) The liberation of every soul depends uponhis own strength, valour and exploits.”

Mahavir proceeded all alone. Sometimes amongthe ruins of a building, sometimes on burial ground,sometimes in a thick forest and sometimes in a deepravine, he set in meditation. And so he came to a vasthermitage of Duijjanta ascetics in the Moraka camp.This hermitage stood on the bank of a fine streamamong green pastures. The head of the hermitage wasan intimate friend of Bhagwan Mahavir’s father,Siddhartha. Mahavir accepted his warm welcome andstayed there. The head of the hermitage gave him athatched cottage to live in. Mahavir, the great monk,stayed there for the rainy season. Monsoon did notset in quite in time. So no fresh grass appeared onthe pastures. Hungry cows came to graze and beganto pull the hay off the thatched hut. The ascetics, drovethe cows away with sticks. But Mahavir wasengrossed in unbroken meditation. Attracted by thesweet-smelling substances applied to his body at thetime of initiation, insects such as worms, butterflies,gnats and mosquitoes started swarming aroundstinging him. But Mahavir was quite detached. Otherascetics saw that while with sticks in hands, theyprotected their own cottages all the day long, Mahavir

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did not care for his possessions at all. The asceticsbegan to slander him. The head of the hermitage cameto know this. He said to Mahavir, “Even birds protecttheir nests. But you don’t care though you are a prince.Why is it so ?”

As he was engrossed in meditation, Mahavir didnot speak. But he thought to himself, “The monk whohad renounced his family was now tempted by thesecurity of life in the cottage. It was for the sake ofausterity that I renounced my home. Now entrappedin somebody else’s cottage, should I forget austerity ?The lamp of my austerity can shine under a tree, in acave or among the ruins of a building.” So with theconsent of the head of the hermitage, Bhagwan leftthe cottage with all goodwill. But at that time he madefive resolutions. (1) Not to stay at a place which breedsaversion. (2) Always to be in meditation. (3) The vowof silence should be observed for most of the time. (4)Not to eat more food than what can be taken in thepalm of my hand. (5) Not to flatter householders. Thesefive resolutions show Mahavir’s spirit of renunciation.Like the seeds of a banyan-tree, these vows spreadinto the shetering tree of true asceticism in life. Onaccount of these five vows he had to go without placesto stay in. Only barren forests, ruined buildings anddeserted houses became his abodes. But Mahavir wasMahavir. Neither fear nor provocation could swervehim from his path.

Continuing his journey from the hermitage of theDuijjants ascetics, Bhagwan Mahavir reached adeserted town. Most of the houses were ruined. Thustown with the bones of skeletons strewn everywhere,was known as Asthigrama – the town of bones. Afierce yaksha named Shoolapani lived in the templeon the outskirts of the town. He had such a greatdislike for the smell of human body that whateverstayed in the temple over-night was sure to be founddead in the morning. The yaksha would scare andpresecute the man and the man would die of fright.Fear itself is not dangerous but the fear of fear isdangerous. Even Indrasharma, the worshipper of thetemple, was afraid of the yaksha. But Mahavir wasnot afraid of anybody. He said, “I do not fear anybodyand do not cause fear to anybody. I will stay in thetemple for the night.”

It was now getting dark. The priest of the templehad left. Mahavir was standing in deep meditation.Shoolpani, the yaksha, appeared. He had in his handa terrible shoola (lance) glittering like lightning. Helooked like fierceness itself. Thinking that he wouldget a bellyful for his food, he burst into a peal of cruelloud laughter. Even the strongest men were frightenedby the laughter. But like a thunderbolt Mahavir stoodfirm and unperturbed. The yaksha assumed the formsof an elephant, an evil spirit and a snake. He inflictedno end of wounds on Mahavir’s body. By his miraculous

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powers the yaksha caused severe pain in Mahavir’seyes, ears, nose, head and everywhere. But Mahavirstood firm like the Sumeru mountain.

The whole night Mahavir was visited with greatcalamities. At last Shoolpani, the yaksha, got deadtired. His monstrous physical strength surrenderedto Mahavir’s spiritual power in the end. Graduallyhis heart underwent a change. He bowed down at thefeet of Mahavir and said, “O, Lord ! Pardon me. I didnot recognize you.”

Mahavir said, “It is an enemy that is pardoned.You are my friend.”

The yaksha was surprised. He said, “Am I afriend ? And yours ! How much I tortured you !”

Mahavir said, “Not only mine; you can be a friendof the whole world. Overcome by feelings of anger andspite, you were preying on human bones. But violencenever gives you peace. It is only by forgiveness andlove that peace is realized. I know that you bearrevenge against this town. But the cure for revengeis not revenge but love.”

As gentle rain falls on the hot earth so Mahavir’swords pacified yaksha’s bruised spirit. His heartbrimmed over with the redeeming waters of love andcompassion.

In the course of his sojourn, Bhagwan again came

to pass through Moraka town. There lived in this towna hypocritical astrologer of the Achchhandaka clanwho cheated ignorant and credulous people withstories of false miracles. On account of Bhagwan’spresence and through the infleunce of his practice ofmeditation and penance, the hold of Achchhandakasabated.

While Bhagwan was going on a journey from southVachala to north Vachala, he did his preaching of thebenefit of the snake, Chandakaushika. Then a goodnamed Sangama caused a number of torments ofMahavir, but through all these travails, Bhagwan’sface shone bright like gold as if it were the mid-daysun. For six long months he caused innumerabletorments to Mahavir but Mahavir constantly pursuedhis path of austeriety. Disappointed and dejected,Sangamadeva fell at the feet of Mahavir. Tried anddefeated Sangama said in a voice choked withemotion, “I am Sangama. I did not recognize you. Youare adorable even by Gods, let alone men. Wonderfulis your self-control. Matchless are your forgivenessand tolerance.”

Though Mahavir was tormented for six months,not a trace of it was left on the face of the great yogiMahavir. He thought in his compassionate heart,“Alas ! What will happen to this poor soul ? He hasburdened himself with what huge load of Karma all

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because of me.”And then his eyes opened wide, with tears

glistening at the ends of each of his two lotus-like eyes.Seeing the tears Sangama danced and spoke, “Oh !the pitying eyes of forgiving God will surely bless methough I have tormented him.”

Kalikalsarvajnya Hemchandracharya says :

E fi Ú i … … { …Æ ˙ … v … ‰% { … V…x … ‰ E fi Ú { … … ® … xl …Æ ˙ i … …Æ ˙ ™ … … ‰ : *< « π …n ¬ ˘ § … … π { … …p « ˘ ™ … … ‰ ® … «p Δ ˘ ∏ … “ ¥ … “Æ ˙ V …x … ‰ x … ‰ j … ™ … … ‰ :**

(Beneficent are Bhagwan Mahavir’s eyes whichemit pity on his tormentors and which are wet withtears in the corners on account of his compassion forthem.)

Once upon a time Bhagwan Mahavir thought thatin order to cast off Karma, he should go to a placewhere man was man’s enemy, where nobody knewwhat a monk was and where he had no friends andacquaintances. He wanted to put the religion ofahimsa (non-violence), the religion of love, to test. So,he went to the Anarya region named Radha where itwas difficult even to survive. Here people were unkindand cruel. The bruised his body in a hundred ways.Wild dogs tore at his flesh. At that time one of hisdisciples said, “Shell we not keep with us a stick atleast to keep them off ?”

“In that case our vow of Ahimsa will be broken”,said Mahavir.

There he was tormented almost to death butMahavir did not deviate from his path at all.

It is said in the Acharanga Sutra :

∫…⁄Æ˙… ‰ ∫…ΔO……®…-∫…“∫…‰¥……, ∫…Δ¥… ÷b‰ ˜ i…il… ∫…‰ ®…Ω˛…¥…“Æ‰ ˙ *{… b˜∫… ‰¥…®……h… ‰ EÚ∞¸∫……<« +S…±… ‰ ¶…M…¥… Δ Æ˙“<il…… *

(As the body of an armoured warrior remainsunwounded in war, so Bhagwan Mahavir showed greatfortitude even in the midst of torments.)

In the twelfth year of his initiation, Bhagwan stoodin meditation under a tree on the outskirts of the townChhammani. An incident similar to that which hadhappened on the first day of his initiation happenedagain. Leaving his bullocks to the care of Mahavir, acowherd left for some work. Bhagwan Mahavir whowas in meditation did not say anything. Taking hissilence for consent, the cowherd went away. Thegrazing bullocks disappeared into a thicket nearby.The cowherd returned and not finding his bullocksthere, asked, “O, Monk ! Where are my bullocks ?”But he got no reply. He asked a second time. ButMahavir was in meditation. How would he give ananswer ? The cowherd’s anger knew no bounds. “I havebeen asking so often, and you do not answer, nor doyou show any other sign to reassure me about my

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bullocks. Are those your ears of little earthen bowls ?Do you have oil poured into your ears ? Those earshave done you no good, it seems. Let me fill themup.” The cowherd said, and brought two straight longthorns.

The stupid cowherd pushed the nail-like thornsinto the ears of the great yogi. Lest someone shouldpull out the thorns, he cut off their outer ends. Eventhen Mahavir did not stir, and nor did he give anyother sign.

Then Mahavir went to the town, Madhyama. Hewent for alms to a Bania named Siddhartha. An expertphysician named Kharaka had come to Siddhartha’splace. He found the small wooden sticks pushed intoMahavir’s ears and with great effort he pulled themout.

Everyone now began to slander the cowherd, whohad proved to be such a cruel termentor, Bhagwansaid, “This is no fault of the cowherd. I am sufferingthe consequence of what I have done. In my eighteenthBhava (birth) I was a king named TriprushthaVasudeva and it was I who had ordered moltan leadto be poured into the ears of the servant who madethe beds. This is the fruit of that sin. Everyone mustbear the fruit of his Karma, even he may be amundane soul or a monk.”

It was a cowherd who caused the first torment to

Bhagwan in Karmargrama and again it was a cowherdwho caused the last torment. During the period of hisausterity, he suffered a number of torments but insuffering them he always maintained his equanimity.He never had feelings of anger or aversion towardsanyone, even if the man was hostile or had turnedtormentor for no reason. His heart was brimming overwith love for all : gods, devils, humans and beasts,even when they caused terrible torments to him.Exercising complete restraint on himself, on his mind,speech and body, Bhagwan suffered all this withcomplete equanimity and constantly pursued the pathof self-realization. In torrential rain, in bitter cold, orin a raging storm, the unflickering lamp of hisausterity constantly shone bright. Bhagwan hadpreached ahimsa (non-violence), but mankind wasfound to be slipping back into himsa (violence). Thepower mongers can never abandon their love for war.The victor in such wars plundered people’s gold andsilver and sold young men and women in the bazaar.The city of Kaushambi had recently won such avictory. Bhagwan daily went on his round, beggingfor alms in that city. He went from house to housebut returned not accepting food from any house. Inthis way six months passed by. For as long a periodas six months he did not accept even a grain of food.The people of Kaushambi thought that Mahavir waslike a fish dying of thirst in an ocean full of water.

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Everyone in the kingdom; the king, the minister,the merchant, the monk began to weigh his ownKarma. Everyone began to think “What is an evildeed ? What is a good deed ? What is justice ? What isinjustice ?”

One day the news came that Bhagwan acceptedboiled unsplit black beans from Chandanbala whowas a slave in the household of the merchantDhanavaha. On hearing this people started streamingto the place of the merchant Dhanavaha. But astersome time they were surprised to find that the womanwhom they had mistaken for a slave woman wasactually the daughter of the king of Champanagar.Her mother was the sister of the king of Kaushambi.She was now a prisoner taken in the war betweenChampa and Kaushambi. Seeing this, peopleexclaimed, “How terrible is war, in which man killshis own kinsfolk.”

Mahavir showed to the world the strength of thesoul and of the body. Out of his austerity period oftwelve and a half years, for 349 days he took only onemeal a day. On all the rest of the days, he fastedwithout taking even water. During this period ofsevere austerity he performed one penitentialexercises of six months. One penitential exercise ofsix months less five days. Nine penitential exercisesof four months. Two penitential exercises of three

months, two penitential exercises of two and a halfmonths, six penitential exercises of two months, twopenitential exercises of one and a half months, twelvepenitential exercises of one month each and seventy-two penitential exercises of a fortnight. For 4166 daysout of 4515 days of his life of austerity, he performedpenitence even without water. He journeyed thousandsof miles on foot without a garment on his body, or anumbrella over his head, or shoes on his feet. Thus heproved that man’s soul has tremendous strength. Ifyour are to weigh the strength – of the whole world onone side, and the soul’s strength on the other, the soul’sstrength excels. If a man treads the path of ahimsaand truth, he becomes Paramatma. Paramatma isnone other than the soul itself. It is the soul thatbecomes Paramatma.

After twelve and a half years of severs austerityand unprecedented penance, Mahavir sat inmeditation in a ricefield on the bank of the riverRajuvalika. It was the tenth day of bright half of themonth of Vaishakha. It was the fourth quarter (3 hours’period) of the day. He was performing a two-day fast.And on this day, under a shala (teak) tree he wassitting in godohasana (cow-milking) posture (knees upand head lowered). At that time he attainedKevaljnana (omniscience). The lamp of infiniteknowledge now shone bright. For a while the whole

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samsara was lit up in unprecedented light. Thedirections became calm and purified. With a loudbeating of drums, gods descended to the earth tocelebrate Bhagwan’s attainment of kaivalya(omniscience). Bhagwan found the path to truehappiness. He became free from all confusions ofsamsara and all complexes of the world. All the threeworld : hell, earth and heaven, and all the threeaspects of time, of the present, the past and the future,made their abode in Mahavir’s heart. After hisattainment omniscience, he came to be known asArhata, Jaina, Veetraga.

A rich Brahmin named Somil arranged for a greatyagna (Sacrificial rite) in the middle region ofPavapuri. Famous ritualistic scholars from all overIndia came to participate in it. Among them werescholars well-versed in fourteen vidyas, scholars suchas Indrabhooti, Agnibhooti and Vayubhooti. Each oneof them had 500 disciples. Two scholars named Vyaktaand Sudharma had come from Kollaka. The scholarsnamed Mandika and Mauryaputra had come with 350disciples each from Maurya district. Four otherscholars named Akampita, Achalabhrata, Metaryaand Prabhasa were present in that assembly. Theseeleven scholars were very eminent among the scholarsin India but they were full of feelings of suspicion andignorance and were groping in the dark. At that time

Bhagwan Mahavir came to Pavapuri. Godsconstructed a Samavasarana (the lecture-hall) for theoccasion. Gods, devils, human beings and even beingsof lower order like the animals – all went to listen tohis sermon. At that time these scholars began todiscuss the scriptures with Mahavir. But omniscientBhagwan having known their doubts in advancestated them in their own words and resolved them.Consequently, all the eleven scholars took initiationand became Bhagwan Mahavir’s ganadharas (leadingdisciples propagating his teachings). Then they wenton a journey to Magadha, Mithila, Koshala andKalinga. Thousands of men and women became theirdisciples. Great learned Brahmins such as IndrabhootiGautama and Sudharma, Kshatriyas such as Udayiand Maghakumar, Vaishyas such as Dhanna andShalibhadra, Shoodras such as Metaraja andHarikeshi became Mahavir’s ascetic disciples.

His followers came from all walks of life, fromamong kings and princes to ordinary persons. In all14000 monks and 36000 nuns were initiated at LordMahavir’s hand. A very large number of laymen andlay- women were his disciples.

Lord Mahavir founded a sangha or congregationof all these. Such an organization is called a tirtha.So he came to be called Tirthankar. There has beenno Tirthankar after him. Mahavir had completely

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conquered the pulls of attachment and aversion, andso he is also known as Jina. The followers of Jina areJainas.

Let us examine Lord Mahavir’s concept of anirgrantha monk, (a monk free from all ties) of hisShasana (dispensation). This monk must have a freemind replete with noble thoughts. He must beconstantly observing the vow of ahimsa. He shouldnot experience any of the complexes of samsara,complexes of mind, having their source in personalrelationship or in ideas of the egoistical self. Heshould not idle away a single moment. For food,clothing and shelter, man feels himself obligedtowards a number of people in the Samsara. Anirgrantha monk is free from this dependence. As healways journeys on foot, he does not need a chariot, acart or a horse. As he does not wear shoes on his feet,he has not to search for a shoe-maker. As he himselftears his hair, he does not need a hairdresser. His lifeis independent and free. He considers the difficultpath to be a comforting one. The monk has only oneaim before him. Explaining this aim BhagwanMahavir says : “How many obstacles an elephantleading an army in a battle suffers ! How manywounds he suffers ! Still he goes on. In the same waythe monk progresses. The elephant does not care aboutbeing bound, cut to pieces or killed. His mind is fixedon the aim. Similarly the monk does not care about

anything but proceeds on and on in the life ofausterity.”

Bhagwan Mahavir’s style of sermonizing wasjnata style. It was a simple but poignant styleexplaining his point of view allegorically.

Once during his monsoon sojourn in Rajgraha hetold this story :

People often keep animals to provide for their daysof fasting. Take the example of the lamb who ispampered and fed so well by the master that hebecomes fat as a pig. It believes that it is extremelyhappy. It eats, drinks and makes merry, while otherlambs wander in search of food and die of hunger.

Meanwhile a guest comes to its master’s house.Its master takes the healthy and stout lamb and killsit. He cuts it into pieces and makes a tasty dish. Thelamb now feels sorry the guest ever came.”

Bhagwan Mahavir tells us this story to make usmeditate on the true nature of life. The guest is noneother than old age which visits everyone. The knife isthe knief of death which kills everyone.

But it is the duty of man to wake up in time beforeold age and finally death overtakes him.

Mahavir gave his sermon in Ardhamagadhi, thelanguage of the laity or the lay-man. His last monsoon

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sojourn was in Pavapuri. A number of kings hadassembled there at the time. It was now the seventysecond year of Mahavir’s life. On hearing the news ofBhagwan Mahavir’s nirvan every house in Pavapuriwas steeped in sorrow. After a silence of twelve longyears the saviour had spoken. Not after two or fivehundred years, not even after one or two hundredyears, not after seventy-five years, but only afterseventy two years Lord snapped the bond that hadstood in the way of his complete liberation. Howeversweet the moonlight may be, this cannot change thefact of its being an aspect of the black night.

Worshippers now thronging around LordMahavir. Rishis were blowing conch-sheels. Indra, thechief among gods, was busy making preparation forthe nirvana celebration. But the hearts of gods and ofhuman beings were full of grief. For they knew thatLord Mahavir’s divine self would now no longer bevisible and his pious word would no longer be heard.The great god Indra also wished that Bhagwan shouldput off his nirvana.

The great god Indra said to Bhagwan, “Thisconstellation suggests an inauspicious fate. Would youplease not put off your nirvana for a while ? This isvery easy for you who are omniscient and omnipotent.”

Mahavir realized Indra’s illusion. He said, “Indra,your love for my physical self makes you speak so.

All things, the cause of my birth, the function of mybody and the aim of my life have ceased to be. Letalone a moment of my life, even a fraction of a momentis burdensome.”

Some people thought that whatever Bhagwanmight say, he would not accept nirvana so soon.Maharshi Gautama, the prime disciple of Mahavir,had gone elsewhere to deliver a sermon. They thoughtthat Bhagwan would not pass away when his primedisciple was away. But breaking the subtle bond ofthe body, Lord Mahavir attained nirvana.

On hearing the news of Bhagwan’s nirvana, theenlightened Gautama burst into tears. Hislamentation was so touching that even the hardest ofhearts would melt. It is easy to console an ignorantperson. Here was the lamentation of the highlyenlightened one. Even Indra did not know how topacify Gautama.

Meanwhile the sadness on the face of theenlightened Gautama was changed into delight. Joyspread where there was sorrow. Indra could notunderstand this change. The enlightened Gautamasaid, “Oh ! Bhagwan’s nirvana has taught me morethan what his life did. He often advised me to beindependent, to rise above all bonds of dependence.He advise me to go to the inner world where there isno teacher and no disciple. But then I had great

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attachemnt for Bhagwan’s physical self. My worshipwas physical rather than spiritual. That is why hekept me away at the time of nirvana with a view toteaching me that austerity for surpasses allattachment or narrow love.”

Thus for every soul Bhagwan Mahavir broughtthe message of eternal happiness. This is what he didmore than 2589 years ago. But the message stillpurifies the world.

Let us realize the importance of the revolutionthat he effected before we move on to a considerationof the message of Bhagwan Mahavir. He madescriptures accessible to the masses. In those daysreligion was discussed only in Sanskrit, the languageof gods. The masses could not understand it and thiswas considered to be the mark of its greatness.Knowledge which could be understood by the laymenwas considered to be ordinary and vidya which couldnot be understood was considered to be great. Thismistaken idea prevailed everywhere. It wasconsidered to be bad thing to discuss religion.

Mahavir’s preachings were understood by all andopened for all the door to the salvation of the soul.

In order to give freedom to women Lord Mahavirmade two great reforms; he recognized brahmacharya(celebacy) as a vow and he said that if a woman gets

initiated as a nun, she can became free from allbondage. He discarded the importance of gender andcastes and established the importance of good conduct.EÚ®® … ÷ h … … § … Δ ¶ …h … … ‰ Ω ˛ … ‰ <, EÚ®® … ÷ h … … Ω ˛ … ‰ < J… k …+… ‰ *¥ …<∫… … ‰ EÚ®® … ÷ h … … Ω ˛ … ‰ <, ∫… ÷q ˘ … ‰ Ω ˛ … ‰ < EÚ®® … ÷ h … …**

(One is born a Brahmin, a Kshatriya, a Vaishyaor a Shoodra according to one’s karma.) Thus he ledstoodras out of the darkness of slavery and lifted themup from beastliness to godliness. He said that a manor woman of any caste could practise religion. In facthe said that a monk should not be at all conceitedregarding his appearance, caste, knowledge, penance,and celibacy. This was Bhagwan Mahavir’s greatsocial revolution. He changed the whole situation. Thistrue insight given from the depth of his soul made apermanent impact on the society. Bhagwan Mahavirfearlessly and firmly expressed his thoughts andliberated people from the bonds of a certain class ofpeople, from the practice of violence and mentalslavery. He led the society out of the bonds of the castesystem. He completely revolutionised the concept ofthe high and the low. He revolted against theconvention which laid down that woman should beunder her father’s protection in childhood, under herhusband’s protection in youth and under her son’sprotection in old age. Now onwards, the distinctionsof caste or gender shall not obstruct the developmentof the soul. Under the aspect of the soul, all are equal.

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Brahmin or Shoodra, man or woman, young or old –whoever makes efforts can attain liberation. It wasin order to justify this that he made Chandanbala hisfirst nun. He helped man overcome the dependenceon fate and on the grace of God. He preached thatman should make efforts and said, “However great agod may be and however good his heaven may be, ifman shows his humanity even a god bows at his feet.That is why man should insist on truth and love. It isby his deeds, his virtues and his efforts that man canbe great. For this, birth, family and caste are of littleuse.”

Mahavir saw that celibacy is something greaterthan the vow of possessionlessness. Celibacy is notonly an external function of accepting or abandoningexternal objects; it is essentially spiritual restraint.Similarly, penitence is the only way of severing thebonds of karma. Thus he established the over-whelming importance of penance in life. ThusBhagwan liberated man from mental slavery. Hevalued man’s own effort above fate. He expoundedthat active efforts are preferable to dry erudition.Fighting against age-old customs and blind faith,Mahavir proved the importance of freedom of thought.He fearlessly accepted what he thought to be true.

Like the monk, the householder has his own dutiesto perform. He said, “It is a false belief that the monk

alone should practise religion and the householdercan enjoy himself. Like the monk, the householdershould practise religion. While the monk shouldthoroughly and strictly observe vows, the householdershould observe vows as far as he can. Thus there arefive great vows for the monk and five small vows andseven shikshavratas (vows of penitence) for thehouseholder. If a person observes these vows he wouldbe triumphant. Don’t kill beasts for sacrificial rites.Don’t conceal scriptures. Don’t hate the enemy.”

Bhagwan Mahavir showed that the differences ofcreeds and sects are subsidiary and every creed hasrelative truth. He preached that man should nevercause, harm to anyone. He gave the doctrine ofanekantavada to promote tolerance in thought. Hetaught syadvada to promote harmless speech. Heshowed the importance of possessionlessness insociety.

He said,“P…®®……‰ ®…ΔM…±…®…÷ŒCEÚ]¬ı`Δ ˆ, +ÀΩ˛∫…… ∫…ΔV…®……‰ i…¥……‰ *n‰˘¥…… ¥… i…Δ x…®…Δ∫…Δ i… V…∫∫… P…®®…‰ ∫…™…… ®…h……‰**”

(Religion is superemely auspicious. Non-violence,self-control and austerity are its characteristics. Evengods bow down to him who always rejoices in religion.)

Bhagwan prescribed some rules for attaining thesalvation of the soul. These rules are vows. There arefive great vows.

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The first great vows is ahimsa (non-violence).Bhagwan Mahavir said, “If you kill someone, it isyourself to kill. If you dominate someone, it is yourselfyou dominate. If you torment someone, it is yourselfyou torment. If you harm someone, it is yourself youharm.” A wise man knows this and so he does notkill, dominate, or torment anyone. Ahimsa is the basisof the Jain Religion. Other religions have adoptedahimsa but they have not given it the importance thatthe jain religion has given. Other religions have notexamined ahimsa so subtly as the jain religion hasdone.

The concept of ahimsa has emerged from logicalthinking and experience. The concept of ahimsa hasemerged from the doctrine of the equality of all souls.Everyone wants to live; nobody likes to die. Everyonewants happiness; nobody wants unhappiness. Thevery thought of doing harm produces Karma. So,according to Jain philosophy, himsa and ahimsadepend upon the doer’s thoughts. Where there ispramada (neglectful idleness or sloth) there is alwayshimsa. Untruthful speech and deeds are himsa. Togive someone a shock or to be corrupt is also himsa.It is from ahimsa that truth, non-stealing, celibacyand possessionlessness emerge. Himsa enters first inthought, then in speech and then in deeds. That iswhy they say that war is born in the hearts of men.The quest for ahimsa is echoed in anekantavada.

In Jain philosophy ahimsa is said to be thesupreme religion and himsa is considered to be thesource of all evil and of all miseries. Mahavir’s ahimsais not limited to humankind, in extends to all livingbeings. It believes in unity of life and regards all livingbeings to be equal. He who can be cruel to animalscan be cruel to human beings. Cruelty is not only anaspect of external behaviour but it is also an innerevil tendency. He who is cruel at heart will behavecruelly with animals as well as human beings. Hewho is compassionate at heart, will behavecompassionately with all. Moreover, the Jain religionbelieves in the cycle of birth and rebirth. The soul isin one yoni (existence) today; it may be in anotheryoni tomorrow. It may be a fly today and a mantomorrow. This being so, man has no right to harmnon-human living beings even. One should behavesympathetically with all–friends as well as enemies.Such is the importance of ahimsa in Jain philosophy.

i…÷ ΔM…Δ x… ®…Δn˘Æ˙…+…‰, +…M……∫……+…‰ EÚ∫……±…™…Δ x…Œil… *V…Ω˛ i…Ω˛ V…™…Δ ®… V……h…∫…÷, P…®®…®…ÀΩ˛∫……∫…®…Δ x…Œil…**

(Nothing is higher than the Meru Mountain;nothing is vaster than the sky. Similarly, there is noreligion as good as ahimsa.)

Another great vow is truth. I will not practiseuntruth, I will not make someone practise untruthand I will not help someone practising untruth. It is

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said in Prashnavyakarana that truth is God. It is saidin Acharanga Sutra that the wise person who obeystruth conquers death. The human heart experiencestruth. Mahavir’s life was governed by experiencewhich was the fruit of his own austerity. That is whyhe says if we ought to believe in his word, it is notbecause he is omniscient; every soul can attain to thatstatus if it practises true austerity– This is hispreaching. Bhagwan Mahavir himself could attain tothe status of Tirthankar only after his austerity ofthe previous 27 bhavas (modes of existence) followedby his penance of twelve and a half years. So, hepreached we should be always watchful and abstainfrom untruth. He who tells a lie is never trusted. Youshould be careful to see that you do not speak untruth.One should speak things which are free fromshortenings, and speak only when necessary. Harshlanguage should be avoided. Regarding a nirgrantha(monk), he said, “The nirgrantha will speakthoughtfully because if he speak unthoughfully,untruth may be spoken. He will abandon anger, forin anger he may speak a lie. He will abandon greed,for untruth may be spoken out of greed. He willabandon fear, for untruth may be spoken out of fear.He will abandon joking and mocking, for untruth maybe spoken for fun.”

Think of him who is so much concerned abouttruth. Neither can fire burn him nor can water drown

him who speaks the truth. Jain philosophy hasthought comprehensively about truth. To insist thatwhat you speak is the only truth is a sort mentalhimsa. The generous view that there can be a grainof truth in what the other persons say, isanekantadrishti, for truth is relative. As you have fullfaith in what is truth from your viewpoint, so the otherperson has faith in what is truth from his point-of-view. Thus anekantavada equally tolerates and co-ordinates all viewpoints of life, in a spirit of co-operation. This is the true method involving ceaselessendeavour to search out truth. To regard everythingfrom a relative point-of-view and to see an element oftruth in everything – this is anekantavada. Not ‘mineis truth’ but ‘truth is mine’ should be our motto.

Bhagwan Mahavir’s life is full of incidentsshowing that ‘truth is mine’. It was he who sent hischief disciple, the enlightened Gautama, to ShravakaAnanda to ask for his pardon. In those days numerousdisputes had arisen. In order to prove his contentionto be true, everyone was trying to refute thecontentions of others. Bhagwan Mahavir taught usto support rather than refute the views of others.

He said, “Only if you make your unilateral viewmultilateral, the veil covering your vision will beremoved and you will have a clear and unmistakableview of pure truth.”

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Thus Bhagwan Mahavir tried to quench the fireof disputes. For this he gave an illustration how theseven blind men look at the elephant. Thisanekantavada will make man think from the otherman’s viewpoint and consequently half of the miseriesof the world will disappear. Anekantavada leads us tothe path of co-ordination and of annihilation ofopposition.

The third great vow is the vow of non-stealing.Man should abandon all kinds of stealing. We shouldnot take anything that is not freely given to us. Norshould we make anyone take what is not given to him.Nor should we help anyone take what is not given tohim. He said that not even the teeth-scraping strawshould be taken by a monk without its owner’spermission. Nor does he make someone take it, norgive his consert to it, let alone taking big things. Amonk should take care to see that he takes onlyinnocent things acceptable to him. This means thathe should be aware of the acceptability or non-acceptibility of a thing before taking it.

The fourth great vow is that of celibacy. BhagwanMahavir added this fifth great vow to the four greatvows of Parshvanath and established its distinctimportance. He said that all the physical and mentalmiseries of the world are caused by thirst for sensualpleasures, for all sensual pleasures are ultimately

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painful. A river may be flowing but it is alwayscontained betweens its two banks. Similarly, thestream of life needs restraint. If this restraint isaccepted willingly, the monk will remain happy andjoyful. So, Bhagwan Mahavir said, “You should controlyourself. You should restrain your soul. He who livesin lust, greed and sensual pleasures ultimately suffersmiseries for a long time. Not even the enemy thatcuts your throat does that much harm to you as yoursoul engaged in evil conduct does to you. So, naturalrestraint gladly accepted, is the source of happiness,peace and transquillity.”

The fifth great vow is of possessionlessness.Possession is the source of evil. Possession is not onlythe acquisition or accumulation of things but also thetemptation and the attachment to things. Thispossession is the source of all the five evils viz. himsa,untruthfulness, stealing, sensual pleasure andattachment. Today we see that the chief cause of theboundless miseries of the present world in man’suncontrolled tendency to possess. Man believes thatpossession brings happiness. But in fact possessionis the cause of the miseries and bondage. Possessionmakes a man a slave of external things. As the beesucks honey from the flower without destroying it, sothe welfareseeking man does the last possible harmto another in his worldly life. Thus expounding the


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five great vows Bhagwan Mahavir says, “As the windblows across flaming fire, so ideal people observingthese vows will pass through the samsara and attaineternal joy.”

non violence - The Jain Foundation

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