The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c18.33

v1.c18.33

The first book of the Jain canon, the Āchārāṅga-sūtra, has preserved a sort of religious ballad¹ giving an account of the years during which Mahāvīra led a life of the hardest asceticism, thus preparing himself for the attainment of the highest spiritual knowledge, that of a prophet. During the first thirteen months he never changed his robe, but let 'all sorts of living beings'—as the text euphemistically says—crawl about on his body; but after this time he laid aside every kind of garment and went about as a naked ascetic. By uninterrupted meditation, unbroken chastity, and the most scrupulous observation of the rules concerning eating and drinking, he fully subdued his senses; nor did he ever in the slightest degree hurt or cause offence to any living being. Roaming about in countries inhabited by savage tribes, rarely having a shelter in which to rest for the night, he had to endure the most painful and injurious treatment from the barbarous inhabitants. However, he never lost his patience, and never indulged in feelings of hatred or revenge against his persecutors. His wanderings seem to have covered a wide area, and on occasions he visited Rājagṛiha, the capital of Magadha, and other towns, where the utmost honour was shown him by pious householders.