Question

Write a short note on Life of Mahavira ​

Answer 1

Answer:

★Vardhaman Mahavira was born at Kundalagram near vaishali in Bihar in about 540 B.C. His father, Siddhartha, was the chief of the jhatrika clan of Kshatriyas. His mother, Trishla, belonged to the Powerful Lichchhavi tribe.

★At the Age of thirty, Vardhaman gave up the life of ease and comfort. He left his palace in search of truth. For Twelve Long years, he did hard penance and meditation. At the age of 42, he gained true knowledge.

★On this, he came to be known as the master of Kevalajana (true knowledge), or the Mahavira, i.e., the Great Hero.

★He was also hailed as the Jina , ot the conqueror of the self. That is why his followers are called Jains. Mahavira died in Pawa, in south Bihar, at the age of 72, when his fame had spread far and wide.

Answer 2

Answer:

Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was the twenty-fourth tirthankara (ford-maker and propagator of dharma) who revived and reorganized Jainism. He expounded the spiritual, philosophical and ethical teachings of the previous tirthankaras from the remote pre-Vedic era. He was the spiritual successor of 23rd tirthankara Parshvanatha. In the Jain tradition, it is known that Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6th century BCE into a royal Kshatriya Jain family in present-day Bihar, India. He abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of 30 and left home in pursuit of spiritual awakening, becoming an ascetic. Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities for 12 years, after which he is believed to have attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). He preached for 30 years and is believed by Jains to have attained moksha in the 6th century BC, although the year varies by sect.

Explanation:

After attaining Kevala Jnana, Mahavira taught that observance of the vows of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigraha (non-attachment) is necessary for spiritual liberation. He taught the principles of Anekantavada (many-sided reality): syadvada and nayavada. Mahavira's teachings were compiled by Indrabhuti Gautama (his chief disciple) as the Jain Agamas. The texts, transmitted orally by Jain monks, are believed to have been largely lost by about the 1st century (when they were first written down). The surviving versions of the Agamas taught by Mahavira are some of Jainism's foundation texts.

Mahavira is usually depicted in a sitting or standing meditative posture, with the symbol of a lion beneath him. His earliest iconography is from archaeological sites in the North Indian city of Mathura, and is dated from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE. His birth is celebrated as Mahavir Janma Kalyanak, and his nirvana is observed by Jains as Diwali.