Bahubali is one of the greatest names in the Jain Dharma. The story of Bahubali has been very popular amongst the Jains. His saga has been told and retold in many languages like Sanskrit and Kannada for thousands of years.
The persona of Bahubali exemplifies the inner strength of the entire Indian philosophy. As the name suggests Bahubali means man with strong arms. 'Bahu' means arm and 'bali' means strength. He was known for the immense strength of both his body and character. He had won everything from his egoistic brother yet he returned every worldly pleasure to become an ascetic as he found his life's real aim. He was sensitive to his surroundings and always stayed true to the teachings of his father Lord Rishabhdev. Bahubali couldn't bear any injustice or immorality. Bahubali thus emerges as the ideal man who is able to conquer pride, jealousy, selfishness and anger. The story of Bahubali is the story of a great soul.
Ages after Bahubali achieved liberation, a grand, 57 feet high statue of Gommateshwara was carved out of a single stone, by an extremely devout son (lovingly called Gomat by his mother), in 981 A.D. at Shravanabelagoa, in Hassan district of Karnataka, in south India. There is no statue of this height standing anywhere in the world from that period. Over the years Gommateshwara became synonymous with Bahubali.
Today the splendid statue of Bahubali stands tall atop the Vindhyagiri hill. When we stand at its feet and look up, we see it against the infinite sky; it feels the sky is probably the most suitable background for the statue. The figure with the unique calmness of the face is lofty too, like the sky, and has really no equal.
In order to pray to Lord Bahubali, grand anointing (Mahamastakabhishek) of the statue has been taking place for about a thousand years and with regularity since 1940. The 'grand consecration' of the historic statue of Bahubali is an important Jain festival, held once every 12 years in Shravanabelagola, which has been a sacred place of pilgrimage for all Jains.
This publication is being brought out on the occasion of the 'Mahamastakabhisheka 2018'. We hope that readers will be enlightened and inspired by the story of Lord Bahubali and will try to, as much as they can, incorporate his teachings in their lives.
Hindu (हिंदू धर्म) (13443)
Tantra (तन्त्र) (1004)
Vedas (वेद) (714)
Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद) (2075)
Chaukhamba | चौखंबा (3189)
Jyotish (ज्योतिष) (1543)
Yoga (योग) (1157)
Ramayana (रामायण) (1336)
Gita Press (गीता प्रेस) (726)
Sahitya (साहित्य) (24544)
History (इतिहास) (8922)
Philosophy (दर्शन) (3591)
Santvani (सन्त वाणी) (2621)
Vedanta (वेदांत) (117)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist