Acharya Mahaprajna
Mahavira started a movement of restraint and control, and started an experiment at a time when there was not as much freedom as it is today. He formed a society following the principles of Mahavira. Five lakh people are not a small number when seen in the context of those times.
The head of Lichhivee Republic, King Chetak, was an important member of that devout society. A complete Jain history of those times is not available today. In the Indian history, the tenets of other religions have not been overlooked to the extent Jain principles have been overlooked. Modem historians have done away with the history of kings, heads of republics, Jain army chiefs. If we knew their history, then it could be established that Republics like Lichhivee and Vijji followed Mahavira's principles. Mahavira presented a society that exercised restraint and was dedicated to religious principles.
