Jin-charitra (life and virtues) of Bhagwan Mahavir

• Tirthankar: 24th Tirthankar of this avasarpini; lanchhan (emblem): lion.
• Parents and birth: Born to King Siddharth and Queen Trishala of the Jnatri (Naya) clan at Kundagrama (near Vaishali). Name at birth: Vardhaman.
• Two tradition notes:

- Birth–nirvana dates: commonly 599–527 BCE (more accepted in Shvetambar texts); some Digambar traditions place them slightly differently. - Marriage: Shvetambar tradition says he married Yashoda and had a daughter Priyadarshana; Digambar tradition holds he remained a lifelong brahmachari.

• Renunciation (diksha): At age 30 he renounced princely life, removed all possessions and ornaments, and accepted severe tapas (austerities) with total ahiṁsā, maitri, and kṣamā.
• Sadhana period: 12 years (Digambar) / 12½ years (Shvetambar) of intense spiritual practice—enduring heat, cold, hunger, insults, and injury with perfect equanimity (sāmāyik bhāva).
• Kevaljñāna: At age 42 he attained omniscience on the banks of river Rijukula under a Śāla tree (near Jrimbhikagrama). A Samavasaraṇa manifested; he began delivering deshānā for the welfare of all beings.
• Dharma-pravartan: For ~30 years he traveled barefoot, organizing the fourfold Saṅgha—sādhus, sādhvīs, shrāvaks, shrāvikās—guiding them on the Ratnatraya: samyak-darshan, samyak-jñān, samyak-chāritra.
• Mahāvratas (for ascetics) and aṇu-vratas (for laypeople):

1) Ahimsa 2) Satya 3) Achaurya (asteya) 4) Brahmacharya 5) Aparigraha He also taught Anekāntavāda and Syādvāda—seeing truth from many standpoints without violence of thought or speech.

• Nirvāṇa: At age 72 in Pāvāpuri (Bihar) on Kartik Krishna Amavasya (Diwali). Thereafter the devs performed nirvāṇa-kalyāṇak worship; Jains light lamps to honor the light of his kevaljñāna.

Essence of his charitra

• Total ahiṁsā in thought, word, and deed.
• Perfect kṣamā (forgiveness) and titikṣā (forbearance) even toward those who harmed him.
• Utter aparigraha—no possessions, no attachment, pure inner detachment.
• Compassionate, clear deshānā in Ardha-Māgadhī so all could understand.
• Establishing a disciplined yet compassionate Saṅgha and a lay path grounded in vows, pratikraman, fasting, and dāna guided by right faith and right conduct.

For simple narrative tellings and key teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, you can refer here:

• Stories/overview of Mahavir’s life
• Teachings of Lord Mahavir (ahiṁsā, anekānt, aparigraha, vows)
• Brief life sketch as the 24th Tirthankar