Mahavira (chu Phan: महावीर; chu Kannada: ಮಹಾವೀರ; chu Tamil: அருகன ("Arugan")) co nghia la "Đai anh hung" hay "Anh hung vi đai", 599—527 TCN) con đuoc goi la Vardhamana hoac Kevala la Tirthankara thu 24 cua Ky Na giao. Ong la nguoi ke thua tinh than cua Tirthankara Parshvanatha thu 23. Mahavira sinh vao đau the ky 6 truoc Cong nguyen trong mot gia đinh hoang gia Kshatriya Jain o Bihar, An Đo. Ten me cua ong la Trishala va ten cua cha la Siddhartha. Ho la nhung tin đo cua Parshvanatha. Mahavira tu bo moi tai san the gian o tuoi khoang 30 va roi nha đe theo đuoi su thuc tinh tam linh, tro thanh mot nha kho hanh. Mahavira thuc hanh thien đinh cuong đo cao va kho hanh nghiem khac trong 12 nam ruoi, sau đo ong đat đuoc Kevala Gyan (toan giac). Ong đa thuyet giang trong 30 nam va đat đuoc Moksha (su cuu roi) vao the ky thu 6 truoc Cong nguyen, chi tiet cu the vao cac nam khac nhau tuy theo giao phai.
Trong lich su, Mahavira, nguoi đa giang đao Ky Na giao o An Đo co đai, la nguoi cung thoi voi Phat Gautama. Cac hoc gia xac đinh nien đai cua ong tu the ky thu 6 đen the ky thu 5 TCN va noi sinh cua ong cung la mot điem con tranh cai. Mahavira day rang viec tuan thu cac loi the ahimsa (bat bao đong), satya (chan ly), asteya (khong trom cap), brahmacharya (trinh tiet), va aparigraha (khong dinh mac) la can thiet đe giai thoat tam linh. Ngai day cac nguyen tac cua Anekantavada (thuc tai nhieu mat): syadvada va nayavada. Giao ly cua Mahavira đuoc Indrabhuti Gautama (đe tu chinh cua ong) bien soan thanh Jain Agamas. Cac kinh sach nay, đuoc cac nha su Jaina truyen mieng, đuoc cho la đa bi that lac phan lon vao khoang the ky 1 CN (khi phan con lai đuoc viet ra lan đau tien theo truyen thong Svetambara). Cac phien ban con sot lai cua Agamas do Mahavira giang day la mot so van ban nen tang cua nhanh Svetambara cua Ky Na giao, nhung tinh xac thuc cua chung bi tranh chap voi Ky Na giao Digambara.


Than the Mahavira ten that la Vardhamana, xuat than la hoang tu cua bo lac Lichavi, vuong quoc Kosala. Thuoc đang cap Kshastriya. Nam 19 tuoi, ong lap gia đinh va co mot con gai. Toi nam 30 tuoi, Vardhamana roi gia đinh, tu bo vo con, dan than vao cuoc song kho hanh va khoa than. Con đuong tam đao cua ong keo dai 12 nam troi moi thanh đao. Trong thoi gian ay, co thoi ong hiep đoan voi Gosaka, nguoi ve sau sang lap Ajivikas, mot he phai An giao phi chinh thong khac.
Toi nam 42 tuoi, Vardhamana, thanh tuu toan tri — thuat ngu Jaina giao dung đe goi su thuc ngo, giac ngo, vi the đuoc goi la mot Jina: nguoi chinh phuc. Cac tin đo cua ton giao nay đuoc goi la Jaina — thuong viet tat la Jain — nghia la nhung ke đi theo nguoi chinh phuc. Danh hieu Mahavira co nghia la Đai Anh hung, mot biet danh dung đe ton vinh ca biet vi to su nay.
Ket thuc 30 nam rao giang, xay dung va phat trien Jaina giao, Mahavira tu tran sau mot cuoc tuyet thuc cho toi chet tai Para, noi gan Patna ngay nay. Va noi ay tu đo tro thanh thanh đia hanh huong cua moi tin đo Jaina giao.
Cho toi thoi điem nhap diet, Đuc Mahavira co rat đong đao đe tu gom hai dang: thu nhat nam nu tu si (nu đong hon nam); va thu hai cac tin đo tai gia (cu si), luon luon giup đo moi mat, đac biet ve vat chat, cho gioi tu si.
Trong Trung Bo kinh, pham 56 Upaly Sutra cua Phat giao co ke lai cuoc tranh luan giua Đuc Phat Sakyamuni (Thich Ca Mau Ni) va Nigantha Dighatapassi (Truong Kho Hanh Gia), mot cao đo cua Mahavira, cuoi cung Nigantha chiu thua va quy y theo đao Phat. Sau đo, Phat Thich Ca con thu phuc đuoc Gia chu Upaly, mot cao đo cu si cua Mahavira. Kinh con ghi lai cuoc tuong thuat cua hai cao đo ay cho Mahavira.


Loi giang Gap truong hop co nhung he phai khac nhau cua mot ton giao, cac hoc gia kho co the tham đinh trong nhung loi tuyen bo khong hoan toan giong nhau va đang ganh đua nhau ay cai nao la tieng noi xac thuc cua nguoi sang lap. Nhung đoi voi Jaina giao khong co van đe đo, vi ca hai he phai chinh — Svetambara va Digambara — chi bat đong ve vai điem thuc hanh, đac biet o cho tu si nen khoa than hay mac quan ao, chu khong co nhung thong giai triet hoc khac nhau ve ton giao cua minh. Do đo, chung ta co the kha tu tin khi cho rang cac khai niem hien luu hanh trong Jaina giao that su phan anh trung thuc loi giang day nguyen thuy cua Mahavira 25 the ky truoc. Ba điem can ban trong cac loi giang cua Đuc Đai Anh hung la: 

Bac bo cac nghi le Ba la mon nhu la phuong the đe thanh tuu giai thoat, ong tai thong giai khai niem ve nghiep bao ma truyen thong An giao chinh thong uu tien ap dung no nhu la hau qua tuon trao tu viec cu hanh chinh xac cac nghi le.
Phu đinh su hien huu cua canh gioi thieng lieng vinh cuu, ong tin rang linh hon cua con nguoi bi mac ket trong the gioi vat chat, can đuoc giai thoat nham thanh tuu su toan man.
Bien gioi luat bat ton sinh (bat bao đong - ahimsa) thanh tam điem tuyet đoi cua triet hoc va đao đuc hoc thuc hanh cua minh.
Tuy the, nhung loi giang cua Mahavira khong đuoc ghi thanh van cho toi the ky thu 2 sau CN. Mai toi the ky thu 5, cung van chua co ban san đinh tong the cac sach thanh chinh cua Jaina giao. Đe am hieu triet hoc cua minh, moi he phai Jaina giao đeu chap nhan tham quyen va đat co so xien duong tren cuon kinh Tattvartha Sutra (Kinh ve nhung pham tru nhan thuc) do tu si triet gia Umasvarti ghi lai vao khoang đau the ky thu 2 sau CN.


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