Life and Philosophy of Lord Mahāvīra

Summary

In the communication “Life and Philosophy of Lord Mahāvīra,” Sadhvīśrī Dr Yogakṣhemprabhā recounts the life of the twenty‑fourth Jain Tīrthaṅkara and summarises his teachings. Mahāvīra was born into a royal family as Vardhamāna, the son of King Siddhārtha and Queen Triśalā, yet even as a prince he remained detached from worldly pleasureshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=Bhagavan%20Mah%C4%81v%C4%ABra%2C%20the%2024th%20Tirthankara,very%20childhood%20his%20spiritual%20consciousness. At thirty he renounced the palace, removing his hair and possessions and resolved to follow a path free from attachment and aversionhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=At%20the%20age%20of%20thirty,himself%20to%20the%20highest%20liberation. After twelve years of rigorous austerities (sādhanā) and meditation, he destroyed the bondage of karma and attained omnisciencehttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=Spending%20the%20challangeful%20twelve%20years,ahimsa. As an enlightened teacher he preached the principles of co‑existence and human equality and emphasised the central Jain doctrines of non‑violence (ahiṃsā) and non‑possessivenesshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=attained%20his%20goal,According%20to%20Mah%C4%81v%C4%ABra. The article stresses that limiting possessiveness is essential to curbing violencehttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=JAIN%20JOURNAL%20VOL,a%20limit%20on%20possessiveness%20willingly. Mahāvīra rejected blind ritualism and dogmatism; he taught that right knowledge flows from right belief and that delusion in belief and conduct leads to wrong behaviourhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=Mah%C4%81v%C4%ABra%20preached%20a%20riligion%20based,belief%20results%20in%20enlightened%20knowledge. He explained that dharma is not mere religious observance but the inherent nature of the soul, and that its fulfilment leads to emancipationhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=Lord%20Mah%C4%81v%C4%ABra%20explained%20%27dharma%27%20not,can%20attain%20his%20goal%20of. Yogakṣhemprabhā draws connections between Mahāvīra’s teachings and other Jain doctrines; she notes that the absence of dogmatism forms the basis of syādvāda, the doctrine of relative judgmentshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=supported%20only%20rites%20and%20rituals,philosophy%20and%20delusion%20in%20conduct. The article concludes with a devotional reflection, urging readers on the occasion of Nirvāṇa Day (Deepāvalī) to light their lives with the lamp of the enlightened soulhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2008_07_No_01/520271#:~:text=On%20the%20pious%20occasion%20of,divine%20lamp%20lights%20innumerable%20lamps. By presenting Mahāvīra’s life as an exemplar of renunciation, enlightenment and compassionate teaching, the communication encapsulates the ethical core of Jainism and encourages followers to embody non‑violence, spiritual discipline and open‑mindedness in their own lives.