Lord Mahavir was born the twenty-fourth and the last Jain Tirthankara. He was born in a royal family in 599 BC to King Siddhartha and Queen Trisala. Though he was born in a royal family he gave up the royal living at the age of 30 and spent 12 years of his life as a monk. This act of Mahavir made him win the title ‘Mahavir’. According to Lord Mahavir right conduct includes five vows Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (chastity) and Aparigraha (non-attachment).
It is believed that a soul achieves liberation after countable birth and also after it achieves ‘Samyak Darshana’. While according to Jainism, the characteristic of a person who has the right vision are kindness (Anukampa), without any detachment (Nirveda), spiritual calmness (Prasanna), desire for liberation from the birth and death cycles (Samvega) and belief in these fundamental principles (Astikya). It is also said that after achieving right vision the soul achieves liberation.
The study of Lord Mahavir’s previous births proves that the lord achieved Right Vision in his birth as Nayasar. But before being born as Nayasar, he had infinite births. His birth as Nayasar helped him to achieve liberation after 26 more births. Here are 27 births of Lord Mahavir.
- Nayasara – A village headman who secured samyaktva or partial enlightenment in this birth on account of preaching of true dharma by Jain monks
- Birth in the 1st Celestial World (Heaven) called Saudharma
- Prince Marichi – Grandson of Rsabha, the first Tirthankara and Son of King Bharata
- Birth in the 5th Celestial World called Brahmloka
- Kaushika – A Brahmin
- Pushyamitra – A Brahmin
- Birth in the 1st Celestial World called Saudharma
- Agnidyota – A Brahmin
- Birth in the 2nd Celestial World called Ishaan
- Agnibhuti – A Brahmin
- Birth in the 3rd Celestial World called Sanatkumar
- Bharadwaja – A Brahmin
- Birth in the 4th Celestial World called Mahendra
- Sthavira – A Brahmin
- Birth in the 5th Celestial World called Brahmloka
- Prince Vishvabhuti
- Birth in the 7th Celestial World called Mahashukra
- Triprishtha Vasudeva – First Vasudeva of this half-time-cycle
- Birth in the 7th Hell called Mahatamaha Prabha (pitch dark hued)
- A lion
- Bith in the 4th Hell called Panka Prabha (Mud Hued)
- A human being (Name unknown)
- Priyamitra – A Chakvartin (The universal ruler of seven continents)
- Birth in the 7th Celestial World called Mahashukra
- Prince Nandana – Accepted the vow of self control and gained Tirthankara nama karma
- Birth in the 10th Celestial World called Pranat
- Birth as Tirthankar Lord Mahavir, the final birth
– Courtesy: The Free Press Journal, Sonali Pimputkar.