Today is Mahavir Jayanti, the birthday of Saint Mahavira. An important day for the people belonging to Jain community, this is the day to learn the value of morality, truth and wisdom. Through this article let’s throw a light in some important facts related to this great leader.
Mahavir, the great Saint spent his childhood as a prince. He was the 24th and the last Tirthankara in Jainism. Let’s know more about Mahavir and Mahavir Jayanti with this article.
Important Day For Jainism
Mahavir Jayanti is a very special day or you can say it is the most significant day in Jainism. This is the day when Mahavira was born and for these people another name of Mahavir Jayanti is Mahavir Janma Kalyanak.
Birth Of Mahavira
Mahavira was born to king Siddhartha and queen Trishala. It is said that when Trishala was pregnant, she witnessed numerous auspicious dreams. In her dreams, she used to see that she is going to give birth to a great leader. Her faith turned true and she gave birth to Mahavira who became a great leader in future. According to the stories, it is also believed that when he was born, Lord Indra gave him bath with divine milk.
Mahavira Jayanti Celebrations
To celebrate the eve of this grand day, followers and people of Jain community give ceremonial bath (Abhishek) to statues and idols of Mahavira. Mahavira temples are decorated and visited to offer prayers. To honor him, people meditate and perform charitable acts. Lectures are organized to educate the people about the teachings Mahavira gave. Donation are made to the needy people and collected for services like saving the cows from killing and helping the poor people. On this day, Jain temples across the country see tremendous number of people paying respect to Mahavira. Delicious delicacies are prepared and enjoyed by one and all. Some people of Jain community observe fast on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.
Principles Given By Mahavira
Mahavira, being a great leader always taught that to live a good life, one should always follow these principles:
- Ahimsa (non violence): it means not to cause any harm to the humanity
- Brahmacharya (chastity): refraining from sensual activities
- Aparigraha (no attachment): staying away from getting attracted toward material things
- Satya (truth): always speaking truth
- Asteya (non-stealing): not to have right on things which do not belong to us
Significance of Mahavir Jayanti
Mahavir was a great Saint who always inculcated the value of knowledge, wisdom, and bravery among the masses. This day tells us the importance of following the path of truth and peace. So celebrate Mahavir Jayanti and recall the teachings of Saint Mahavir.
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