Mahavirswami (Vardhamana) earned the title of Tirthankar through a long sequence of disciplined austerities and deep spiritual purification, described in Jain texts as the binding of the special karma called tirthankara-namakarma (and in some accounts tirthankara-nama-karma) over his previous lives. After many lifetimes of strict penance, in his 27th birth his soul accumulated that auspicious karma, which then ripened into the attainment of tirthankarhood. He then awakened (kevala jnana) and taught the path for many years before attaining moksha.

Key points, simple:

• He is considered the 24th Tirthankar in Jain tradition.
• The special karma for becoming a Tirthankar is said to have been bound in his last three lives through extreme self-discipline and austerities.
• In his 27th life he became a Tirthankar, gained omniscience, preached the Jain path for ~30 years, and later attained Nirvana.

Notes on Digambar vs. Śvetāmbara:

• Both traditions agree that Mahavira bound the karma that led to Tirthankarhood and that he attained kevala jnana and later moksha.
• Details of prior lives and some narrative elements differ between Digambara and Śvetāmbara accounts, but the core idea of binding tirthankara-namakarma and becoming a Tirthankar remains aligned.

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