Sruta Sarita

SR No.: 001940
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 310
Language: English, Prakrit, Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Articles
File Size: 18 MB

Page 38

LIFE OF LORD MAHĀVĪRA
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connection with a clan of the Ksatriyas and a story of the change of embryo was inserted in his life-sketch in order to show that he was a Ksatriya and not a Brāhmin.
This necessity arose out of the conviction that Lord Mahāvīra was as much opposed to Vedism as was the Buddha, and the Buddha was not a Brāhmin but a Ksatriya. Buddha is described to have thought that though both the Brāhmana and the Ksatriya are worthy of giving birth a Buddha, he preferred to be born in a Ksatriya family. The Jainas, somehow not satisfied with this, invented the story of change of embryo to denounce the Brahmin caste. But this was not their universal and firm belief because all the chief disciples of Lord Mahāvīra are Brahmins and they are described as born of the high caste. So it was a temporary phase in Jaina history that they denounced the Brahmin caste. That the story of the change of embryo is not an older one can be proved by the fact that though Lord Mahāvīra is describing the capacity of Harinagamesi to change the embryo, he does not refer to the change of his own embryo nor does Gautama ask about it in Bhagavati (5. 4) when he is describing the said capacity of the same god Harinagamesi who is believed to have changed the embryo of Lord Mahāvīra.
Even later canonical works such as Kalpasūtra and the second part of Ācārānga give no details of the life of Lord Mahāvīra. Therein the portion describing the dreams is much more lengthy and elaborate than the one dealing with other details of his life. Therein for the first time we know the names of his relatives and the story of the change of embryo which is repeated in all later Svetāmbara works.
Here we may note a curious fact that, though Acarya Hemacandra talks of the change of Lord Mahāvīra's embryo in his Trisastiśalākā, he clearly states in his Yogaśastra-Tīkā that Lord Mahāvīra took his birth in the embryo of Trisala directly from the heaven.
Stories regarding previous birth are also not found in the canonical works, but for the first time they appear in the Avaśyakaniryukti and in later works we find the whole mythological life-story of Lord Mahāvīra.
The later Svetāmbara version of Lord Mahāvīra's life-story deals with his marriage and tells us that he had a daughter who was married to Jamali. If we read Bhagavati's Jamali story we do not find any mention of the daughter of Mahāvīra married to him; of course, it is mentioned there that he had many wives.
So in order to find out the true life-story of Lord Mahāvīra we should put