☼ Mahavira's Life.
• Mahavira was born in 540 BC (widely accepted view) in a village Kundgrama near Vaishali in Bihar.
• Mahavira's original name was Vardhamana .
• His father Siddhartha was the head of the jnatrika Kshtriya clan under Vajji of Vaishali and his mother Trishalawas the sister of Chetaka, the king of Vaishali.
• Mahavira was also related to Bimbisara, the ruler of Magadha, who had married Chellana, the daughter of Chetaka.
• Mahavira was married to Yashoda who was the daughter of Samarvira king and produced a daughter Anonja Priyadarshini.
• Jamali who was husband of Anonja Priyadarshini, became the first disciple of Mahavira.
• At the age of 30, after the death of his parents, he renounced his family and became an ascetic and proceeded in search of truth.
• He was accompained by Makkhali Gosala, but later due to some differences Gosala left him and founded Ajivika sect.
• In the thirteenth year at the age of 42, under a sal tree at Jimbhikagrama on the bank of river Rijupalika, Mahavira attained Kaivalya i.e. supreme knowledge.
• Henceforth he became to be known as Vardhamana Mahavira.
• From then onwards he was called Kevalin i.e. perfect learned, jina or Jitendriya means one who conquered his senses, Nrigrantha means one who is free from all bonds, Arhant means one who is blessed one and Mahavira (the brave) and his foliowers were named jain.
• He delivered his first sermon at Pava to his 11 disciples (known as 11 Gandharas).
• Later, he founded a jain Sangha (jain commune) at Pava.
• At the Age of 72 in 468 BC, he passed away at Pavapuri near Biharsharif in Bihar.
• Sudharma only one of eleven Ganadharas who survived after the death of Mahavira.
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