Mahavir Swami
| Mahavira | |
|---|---|
| 24th Jain Tirthankara | |
The idol of Mahavira at Shri Mahavirji, Rajasthan
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| Other names | Vīr, Ativīr, Vardhamāna, Sanmati, Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta |
| Venerated in | Jainism |
| Predecessor | Parshvanatha |
| Symbol | Lion |
| Height | 7 cubits (10.5 feet) |
| Age | 72 years |
| Tree | Shala |
| Complexion | Golden |
| Personal Information | |
| Born | 6th-century BC (historical) c. 599 BC (traditional) Kundalpur |
| Died | 5th-century BC (historical) c. 527 BC (traditional) Pawapuri |
| Parents |
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Mahavira (Mahāvīra), also known as Vardhamāna, was the twenty-fourth Tirthankara (ford maker) of Jainism. In the Jain tradition, it is believed that Mahavira was born in early part of the 6th-century into a royal family in what is now Bihar, India. At the age of 30, he left his home in pursuit of spiritual awakening, abandoned all worldly possessions, and became an ascetic. For the next twelve-and-a-half years, Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities, after which he is believed to have attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). He preached for 30 years, and is believed by Jains to have died in the 6th-century BC. Outside the Jain tradition, scholars such as Karl Potter consider his biographical details as uncertain, with some suggesting he lived in the 5th-century BC contemporaneously with the Buddha. Mahavira died at the age of 72, and his remains were cremated.
After he gained Kevala Jnana, Mahavira taught that the observance of the vows ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity) and aparigraha (non-attachment) is necessary to spiritual liberation. He gave the principle of Anekantavada (many sided reality),Syadvada and Nayavada. The teachings of Mahavira were compiled by Gautama Swami (his chief disciple) and were called Jain Agamas. These texts were transmitted by an oral tradition by Jain monks, but 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 the foundational texts of Jainism.
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