According to Jain scriptures, a rule is one that applies uniformly to all, including the souls of Tirthankars. Karmas attached to one's soul due to sins committed must be endured unless weakened by remorse. This rule applies even to Tirthankars.Lord Mahavir also suffered from such karmas, which began to show their effects during his 12 and a half years of sadhna. However, the beauty of his sadhna was such that none of the karmic events could disturb his peace of mind and concentration, which remained as firm as Mount Meru.

The Lord adopted the principle of never struggling with outside circumstances but rather accepting them as they are and focusing on inner strength to progress in sadhna.He consumed food only when absolutely necessary, which was rare during the 12 and a half years. Even on those occasions, he ate only once. Sometimes he was offered kheer (a sweet rice dish), and other times plain boiled black beans. Whatever was offered, he simply accepted, considering food only as support for the body, without paying any attention to taste.

An astonishing event occurred during this time. In this event, the Lord's body suffered maximum pain, although the intentions of the individuals involved were good.One day, a cowherd entrusted his bullocks to Lord Mahavir's care while he went about other tasks. The Lord was deeply absorbed in meditation and did not even listen to the cowherd. With no one to supervise, the bullocks began to wander into the forest. Upon his return, the cowherd inquired about his bullocks, but the Lord remained silent.

Enraged, the cowherd asked “do you have ears or only holes” and then inserted wooden pegs into the Lord's ears, joining them in such a way that they touched each other, effectively blocking his ears. The Lord maintained his peace and meditation despite the pain.Later, the Lord went to a trader's home for food, where a friend of the trader, who was an ayurvedic physician, noticed something amiss with the Lord's appearance. After the Lord left, the physician informed him about his observation . So they both came to the garden where the lord was meditating. The physician inspected him and discovered the wooden pegs in his both the ears. With the help of the trader he removed the pegs, causing him extreme pain. This event marked the culmination of various adversities experienced by the Lord during his 12 and a half years of sadhna.