Mahavir photos |World News
Mathematician, Scholar
Mahavira was a 9th-century Indian Jain Mathematician and is supposed to be the twenty-fourth (last) Tirthankara according to the Jain philosophy. Tirthankara is an enlightened soul who is born as a human being and attains perfection through intense meditation. Mahavira hailed from Gulbarga in Karnataka and asserted that the square root of a negative number did not exist.
Being part of a royal family and despite of having all the luxuries at his disposal, he led a very simple life. He left all his worldly possessions and became a monk. He gave up all pleasures and left his family for the purpose of attaining enlightenment.
It took him twelve years to overcome his cravings and desires. He was able to go without food for days together and completely believed in Ahimsa - which meant non-violence. He did not even want to hurt an ant. Once while meditating he got bit by a snake, but he let go of it and continued with his meditation.
Twelve years later he attained divine knowledge and self-realisation. His perception about everything was crystal clear and he paved the way for spiritual pursuit for future monks. The attainment of this spiritual knowledge was known as keval-jnana.
Once he realised this knowledge, Mahavira travelled to the most remote places and shared his knowledge and experiences. His simple living and high thinking attracted people of different ethnicities, which included the royals to the untouchables and the downtrodden. His teachings were based on the concept of self-realisation for ultimate attainment of Moksha. He taught people how to gain freedom from misery, pain and the cycle of birth and death. Lord Mahavira, as he came to be known as, was known to be pansophical, which means he knew everything about past and future.
Kolanpuka is a famous Jain Temple dedicated to Lord Mahavira.
If mankind observes and follows the principles of Mahavira, peace and harmony can certainly be established in the world.
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