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Day celebrating the birth of Mahavira, 24th and the last Tirthankara of Jainism
Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
is one of the most important religious festivals in
Jainism
. It celebrates the birth of
Mahavira
, the twenty-fourth and last
Tirthankara
(supreme preacher) of present
Avasarpi??
.
[a]
On the
Gregorian calendar
, the holiday occurs either in March or April.
Birth
[
edit
]
According to
Jain texts
, Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of
Chaitra
in the year 599 BCE (Chaitra Sud 13).
[2]
[3]
According to Shvetambara tradition, he was born in Kshatriyakund of Bihar. Some modern historians consider Kundagram (which is today's Kundalpur in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar) as his birthplace. He was born in a democratic kingdom (Ganarajya), Vajji, where the king was chosen by votes.
Vaishali
was its capital.
He was named Vardhamana, meaning "One who grows", because of the increased prosperity in the kingdom at the time of his birth.
[5]
In Vasokund, Mahavira is revered by the villagers. A place called
Ahalya bhumi
has not been ploughed for hundreds of years by the family that owns it, as it is considered to be the birthplace of Mahavira.
Legend
[
edit
]
Mahavira was born into Jnatra clan of the
Ikshvaku dynasty
as the son of King
Siddhartha of Kundagrama
and Queen
Trishala
. During her pregnancy, Trishala was believed to have 14
auspicious dreams
, all signifying the coming of a great soul. Shwetamber Sect of Jainism believes that the mother saw 14 and
Digambara
sect believes mother saw sixteen dreams which were interpreted by the King Siddhartha.
It is said that when Queen Trishala gave birth to Mahavira,
Indra
, the head of heavenly beings (
devas
) performed a ritual called
abhisheka on Sumeru Parvat
, this being the second of five auspicious events (
Panch Kalyanakas
), said to occur in the life of all
Tirthankaras
.
[7]
Celebrations
[
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]
The idol of Mahavira is carried out on a chariot, in a procession called
rath yatra
.
[8]
On the way stavans (religious rhymes) are recited.
[9]
Statues of Mahavira are given a ceremonial anointment called the
abhisheka
. During the day, most members of the
Jain community
engage in some sort of charitable act, prayers, pujas, and
vratas
. Many devotees visit temples dedicated to Mahavira to meditate and offer prayers.
[10]
Lectures by monks and nuns are held in temples to preach the path of virtue as defined by
Jainism
. Donations are collected in order to promote charitable missions like saving cows from slaughter or helping to feed poor people. Ancient Jain temples across India typically see an extremely high volume of practitioners come to pay their respects and join in the celebrations.
[11]
Ahimsa runs and rallies preaching Mahavira's message of
Ahi?s?
(non-violence) are taken out on this day.
[12]
[13]
[14]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Mahavir Jayanti in India"
.
- ^
(India), Gujarat (1975).
Gazetteers: Junagadh
. p. 13.
- ^
Kristi L. Wiley:
Historical Dictionary of Jainism
, Lanham 2004, p. 134.
- ^
Kailash Chand Jain 1991
, p. 32.
- ^
Pramansagar, Muni (2008),
Jain tattvavidya
, India: Bhartiya Gyanpeeth, p. 30,
ISBN
978-81-263-1480-5
- ^
"Piety marks Mahaveer Jayanthi"
.
Deccan Herald
. 3 April 2015.
- ^
"Both sects of Jain community take out attractive joint procession"
. Archived from
the original
on 6 April 2015.
- ^
"Mahaveer Jayanti 2015: The importance of a Satvik meal"
,
NDTV
, 2 April 2015, archived from
the original
on 4 April 2016
- ^
"How and Why Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated"
.
India Today
.
- ^
"Jain youth to hold vegan promotion rally on Mahaveer Jayanti in pink city Jaipur"
.
merinews.com
. 28 March 2015.
- ^
"Jains gear up for Mahaveer Janma Kalyanak tomorrow"
.
dnaindia.com
. 1 April 2015.
- ^
Staff Reporter (30 March 2015).
"Over 900 run for spreading Bhagwan Mahaveer's message"
.
The Hindu
.
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
descending half of the worldly time cycle as per
Jain cosmology
which is actually current now
Sources
[
edit
]
- Jain, Kailash Chand
(1991),
Lord Mah?v?ra and His Times
,
Motilal Banarsidass
,
ISBN
978-81-208-0805-8
- Jain, Pannalal
(2015),
Uttarapur??a of ?ch?rya Gu?abhadra
,
Bhartiya Jnanpith
,
ISBN
978-81-263-1738-7
- Jalaj, Dr. Jaykumar (2011),
The Basic Thought of Bhagavan Mahavir
, Mumbai:
Hindi Granth Karyalay
,
ISBN
978-81-88769-41-4
External links
[
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]
See also
[
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]