Profound teachings of Vardhamana Mahavira to embrace in life

Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara in Jainism, stands as a revered spiritual guide whose teachings resonate across time, offering profound insights into leading a virtuous and meaningful life. Born as Vardhamana in Kundagrama near Magadha, Bihar, Lord Mahavira, the last Tirthankara, renounced his princely life at the age of 30 in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. His teachings, rooted in non-violence, truth, and compassion, form the essence of Jain philosophy.

Lord Mahavira, born on the thirteenth day of the rising moon of the Chaitra month in 599 B.C., in Bihar, India, is considered the founder of Jainism. Originally named Vardhamana, he led a life of royalty but, driven by the quest for spiritual awakening, abandoned his worldly possessions and embraced monkhood at the age of 30. After twelve and a half years of intense meditation, he achieved omniscience and spent the rest of his life imparting timeless wisdom to humanity.

Mahavira emphasized the paramount goal of life as attaining salvation. To achieve this, he advocated the observance of five vows: non-injury (Ahimsa), truthfulness (Satya), non-stealing (Asteya), chastity (Brahmacharya), and non-possession (Aparigraha). Right conduct, right faith, and right knowledge were essential principles, with right conduct involving a dispassionate approach to the senses. He urged treating joy and suffering on equal grounds. Right faith meant belief in the Jinas, and right knowledge involved understanding eventual liberation.

Mahavira expounded the belief that every entity comprises both material and spiritual elements. While the material is transient, the spiritual aspect evolves perpetually. According to him, the soul is bound by karma, and liberation is achievable by overcoming passions. Liberation comes when the soul sheds karmic forces, attaining infinite greatness and transforming into Paramatma, the pure soul, with boundless knowledge, power, and bliss.

Mahavira introduced the principle of Aparigraha, highlighting the importance of non-attachment to material possessions. He believed that materialistic attractions and possessions lead to greed, hindering spiritual progress. Aparigraha, or non-attachment, advocates freeing oneself from worldly possessions, fostering detachment, and paving the way for spiritual growth.

Mahavira underscored the profound principle that all living beings, regardless of their size, shape, or spiritual development, are inherently equal. He advocated a message of universal love, urging individuals to extend their affection and respect to every form of life. This emphasis on embracing the equality of all beings is a cornerstone of Mahavira's teachings, promoting a philosophy that transcends boundaries and fosters a sense of interconnectedness in the tapestry of existence.

Mahavira's primary teachings revolved around the concepts of rebirth and the various realms of life. According to the Acaranga Sutra, Mahavira believed in the diverse forms of life, encompassing animals, plants, insects, bodies of water, fire, and wind.

He expounded the idea of cyclical existence, asserting that the soul undergoes reincarnation in one of the trilok—the heavenly, hellish, or earthly realms of existence and suffering—after death. Mahavira elaborated that human beings experience rebirth on earth or in a heavenly realm, assuming different forms such as a person, animal, element, microorganism, or other entities based on their karma.

Mahavira denounced the worship of gods and goddesses undertaken solely to acquire material wealth and personal benefits. He discouraged the use of religious practices as a means of pursuing worldly gains, emphasizing a more profound and selfless connection with spirituality.