Sunday, April 17, 2011

An obeisance to the lotus feet of the last Tirthankara, Vardhman Mahavir, the founder of Jainism on the eve of Mahavir Jayanti as flashed on the f.b. on April 16,2011..

Bishwa Nath Singh


Today happens to be the Birth Anniversary of the twenty fourth and the last Tirthankara, Vardhman Mahavir, the founder of Jainism.He was born on the thirteenth day of Chaitra as per Hindi calendar that falls today being the 16th of April 2011 during this current year. Let us celebrate His Birth Anniversary with great dignity, devotion and gaiety and have glimpse on his life-history in brief to pay our humble obeisance to His lotus feet!

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(Photo of the last Tirthankara, Vardhman Mahavir, the founder of Jainism.)

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Bishwa Nath Singh :
The grateful nation and Jain in particular celebrates the birth anniversary of the twenty fourth and the last Tirthankara, Vardhman Mahavir, the founder of Jainism as Mahavir Jayanti every year. The birth anniversary of the twenty fourth an...d the last Tirthankara of the Jains, Vardhman Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, is celebrated by the Jain community in March. This day is known as Mahavir Jayanti. He was born on the thirteenth day of Chaitra as per Hindi calendar that falls today being the 16th of April 2011 during this calendar year.He was born to a pious couple, Siddhartha and Priyakarani or popularly Trishala Devi – who were deeply permeated with the philosophy of jainism preached by Parswanatha, the twenty third Teerthankara. Siddhartha was the king of Kaundinyapura on the outskirts of Vaishali (near Patna in Bihar).Even as a boy, he came to be associated with many episodes of absolute fearlessness which earned him the name `Mahavira’. He grew up as a prince, excelling in physical prowess as well as intellectual acumen. However, he renounced the pleasures and luxuries of the place, as also the power and prestige of kingship, and undertook a life of intense penance for more than twelve years. He calmly bore not only the rigors of nature but the torments from the ignorant and mischievous among his own countrymen also. He finally became self-illumined. But not content with his own personal salvation, he chose to become a great human redeemer.He looked around and found the society corrupted by the distortions of the true concept of Dharma. Violence in the form of animal sacrifice had overshadowed the true spirit of yajna and yaga. Spiritual values had been supplanted by superstitions and lifeless rituals and dogmas. Propitiating various Gods and Goddesses was considered as a means of acquiring religious merit – Punya – to the exclusion of the true spiritual significance of these Vedic practices. Mahavira, with his penetrating insight born out of self-realization, struck mercilessly at these perversions. He simplified the religious procedures and concentrated on righteous conduct. Mahavir, also known as Vardhamana, is the last one in the galaxy of Twenty-four Teerthankaras (Jain Prophets).Lord Mahavir has been acclaimed as one of the greatest prophets of peace and social reformation that Bharat has ever produced. He was born to a pious couple, Siddhartha (king of Kaundinyapura on the outskirts of Vaishali near Patna in Bihar). and Priyakarani or popularly Trishala Devi - who were deeply permeated with the philosophy of Jainism preached by Parswanatha, the 23rd Teerthankara. Even as a boy, he had come to be associated with many episodes of absolute fearlessness which earned him the name `Mahavira'. He grew up as a prince, excelling in physical prowess as well as intellectual acumen. However, he renounced the pleasures and luxuries of the place, as also the power and prestige of kingship, and undertook a life of intense penance for more than twelve years. He calmly bore not only the rigors of nature but the torments from the ignorant and mischievous among his own countrymen also. He finally became self-illumined. But not content with his own personal salvation, he chose to become a great human redeemer. He looked around and found the society corrupted by the distortions of the true concept of Dharma. Violence in the form of animal sacrifice had overshadowed the true spirit of yajna and yaga. Spiritual values had been supplanted by superstitions and lifeless rituals and dogmas. Propitiating various Gods and Goddesses was considered as a means of acquiring religious merit - Punya - to the exclusion of the true spiritual significance of these Vedic practices. Mahavira, with his penetrating insight born out of self-realization, struck mercilessly at these perversions. He simplified the religious procedures and concentrated on righteous conduct. He had renounced his worldly life at the age of thirty and undertook austere penance until he achieved realisation. Even as a boy, Mahavira came to be associated with many episodes of absolute fearlessness which earned him the name `Mahavira'. He grew up as a prince, excelling in physical prowess and intellectual acumen. He renounced the pleasures and luxuries of the place, as also the power and prestige of kingship and undertook a life of intense penance for more than twelve years. He calmly bore not only the rigors of nature but the torments from the ignorant and mischievous among his own countrymen also. He finally became self-illumined. But not content with his own personal salvation, he chose to become a great human redeemer. Lord Mahavir spread the message of salvation to the world and had many followers. He preached non-violence, prohibited any kind of killing and taught his followers to seek salvation through penance and abstinence. They are also advised to donate money, clothes and grain to the poor. The Jains are divided into many sects of whom the main ones are Digambaras and Shvetambaras with the latter again divided into Deravasis and Sthanakvasis.His simple and convincing method of appealing to the highest and noblest impulses in the living breast soon won him a large following. He spread the message of salvation to the world and had many followers. He preached non-violence, prohibited any kind of killing and taught his followers to seek salvation through penance and abstinence. People were also advised to donate money, clothes and grain to the poor. The Jains are divided into many sects of whom the main ones are Digambaras and Shvetambaras with the latter again divided into Deravasis and Sthanakvasis. His emphasis on this unity of life forms one of the highest saving principles of human life. The modern civilization, which seeks to exploit and destroy every other kind of living species in order to satiate the never ending cravings of man, is landing the entire human species itself in a deadly peril. As one deeply conversant with the needs, capacities and aptitudes of human being, he initiated a simple five-fold path for the householders: Ahimsa (Non-injury - physical or mental - to others), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (temperance in sexual pleasures) and Aparigraha (non-acquisition of property). His injunctions for the monks and nuns were however very exacting. Abstinence from every kind of physical comfort and material possession and absolute dedication to the highest ethical and spiritual discipline was enforced. Even to this day over two thousand five hundred years after the passing away of that great master, this pure and upright tradition of the monks has been maintained. Thousands of white clad Sanyasins and Sanyasinis and also nude monks move on foot from village to village and town to town, throughout the length and breadth of the country, carrying his gospel of peace, non-injury and brotherhood among people. He had left his mortal coils at the age of seventy one on the Deepavali day. but the lamp of peace which he lit continues to glow through the myriad lights of that Festival of Lights.Let us join to pay our humble obeisance to His lotus feet and respectful homage to Him and seek His bliss for well-being of all living-being of this universe!

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f.b
April 16,2011

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