________________
instructed the god Hari aigame. Hari aigame god went to the Brahminvillage and putting Dev nand to deep sleep without giving her any trouble or pain took Mah v ra's fetus in his palm and placed him in the womb of queen Tri al thus transferring the fetus in Tri al 's womb from Dev nand 's. This way, after staying for 82 nights in Dev nand 's womb on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of A vina month, Lord Mah v ra entered the womb of Tri al.
Discussion on the transfer of womb
The event of exchange of womb, while it is amazing, is not impossible. Considering this incident debatable the Digambara tradition has given it up altogether. However, there is clear description of this in the basic S tras and tk Cr is of the vet mbara tradition. The
vet mbara c ryas believe that the stealing of the womb of T rthamkara may be an uncommon feat but not an impossible one. The 83'd sam v ya of the Samay y mga S tra describes the womb-change. In the fifth place in Sth n mgas tra there is clear description of the womb-change while mentioning the five kaly akas of Lord Mah v ra in the Uttar f lgun constellation. The Sth n mgas tra mentions ten extraordinary events, among which the womb-change occupies the second place. The ten extraordinary events are as follows"
1.
Calamities: - At the samava ara a of Lord Mah v ra Go laka turned to ashes the monk Sarv nubh ti and Sunak atra through fire and started hurling fire at the Lord. This was the first extraordinary event Womb-stealing: - Trthamkara's wombs are not transferred but Lord Mah v ra's was transferred, which is the second extraordinary event. Woman-T rthamkara:- Usually only men attain the T rthamkara status but in the present avasarpi cycle, the 19"Trthamkara Mallin tha was in the form of Mall, who was a woman. This is also an extraordinary event. An Unimpressive Council:- Usually the T rthamkara's first sermon is influential and hearing it people accept the path of restraint, but Lord Mah v ra's first sermon was unimpressive, nobody took initiation; this is also an extraordinary event
266