We have not seen Mahavira, nor Gandhi, Marx, or Keynes. Discussion about those whom we have not met can basically be in terms of their thought and literature. We are most familiar with, and close to Mahavira since we try to live according to his directions. We need his philosophy, we talk about him. He is not here but his life profile is before us.
Mahavira was not only a preacher and a visualizer, he practiced what he preached in his real life. This is a distinction of his personality. Read his writings and you would get a full glimpse of his life. We are followers of Mahavira and, therefore, it is always our endeavour that we try to live according to his teachings.