Shri Mahavira Puja, Barcelona (Spain), June 17th, 1990. Today we have gathered here to do the puja of Shri Mahavira. [Interruption for technical problems] Today we are going to do the puja of Mahavira and we never had this puja before. The reason for this was that Mahavira’s life was an ascetic’s life, just like Buddha: even more than Buddha it would be. Because at the time when these two were born, the Brahminism of the Hinduism had taken a very funny form. People had become extremely ritualistic and they were worshipping all kinds of stones and all kinds of things instead of worshipping only the swayambhu. Shri Mataji, [apart]: Who is that fellow eating food at the time [of puja]? There is a gentleman who is eating food at the time of this thing, please tell him. The ascetic life of Mahavira was of a very, very extreme nature. He was the one who was born in a clan of warriors, kshatriyas, and then He was also married. Also, He had a daughter and then He decided — because He knew He had to do the work of the Divine — He decided to take a sanyasa. So, He took the permission of his brother, because his parents were dead. He was a king, so He gave up all his material wealth, everything, and He became a complete sanyasi. And He left his family, left his house, everything, behind and went alone with a little bowl for begging alms. And the Read More …