________________
12
a brahmin family. Nowadays a ksatriya family is respected. Into that I shall be reborn.100 The apparent irrelevance of karman - also as regards the choice of the aim in life: whether to become a Buddha or a Cakravartin - could point to a certain antiquity of this conception. Can it be a reminiscence of pre-Vedic times in Magadha, of fluid dividing lines, exchange, and rivalry between Brāhmaṇa- and Ksatriya-Vrātyas
A characteristic of Jainism is its static nature, which manifests itself, e.g. in the above dream visions and in the staring statues of saints. It is found already in the womb, where Mahāvīra, who is conscious of his descent from heaven, of his embryonic status and of his transfer, 101 does not move out of pity for his mother until she thinks he is dead. Then he moves a little and, unlike the Bodhisatta, resolves not to go forth in his parents' lifetime (Kappa $94). The latter detail, which is not found in the Ayāranga, seems odd in this context. However, a person destined to become a hero can only fulfil his mission after the death of his mother.102 The case of the Bodhisatta did not require such a vow, as his mother was destined to die much earlier in any case.
Eventually, after nine months and seven and a half days103 Mahāvīra is born in an apparently normal way under an auspicious constellation and a great lustre of descending and ascending deities (Āyār 2,15,7),104 at night in the beginning of summer. Then devas105 and demons in animal form from Vessamaņa's/Kubera's realm, 106 the auspicious north, that is, produce a downpour of money, jewelry, fruits, etc. The Agama does not elaborate on the bearing posture but - e.g. on a fresco in the Vardhamāna temple in Tirupparuttikunram near Kāñcipur in the Vijayanagar region, where, as a rule, at least nowadays women stand upright when giving birth107 - the birth of the first and of the last Jina takes place in a crouching position behind a curtain covering the lower part of his mother's body.108 On the occasion of the birth, not only the
100 Cf. Jaini 1985: 84. 101 Āyar 2,15,5 and Kappa 83 refer to his knowing to descend, Āyar 2,15,5 and Kappa
$29 to his transfer. As to the time of the exchange there is a marked difference between the two canonical texts in that according to Ayar Mahāvīra knows of the
moment, whereas according to Kappa he does not. 102 Neumann 1962: 154 where it is stressed that not the hero's real mother as such,
but his mother as the representative of the Great Mother is meant. 103 This is the average with the Jains, see Schubring 1935 $95. 104 See on this light the critical remarks of Eliade 1976: 96. 105 Ayar 2,15,8. 106 Kappa Jinac $98. 107 Cf. the 18th cent. wooden sculpture in Mookerjee and Khanna 1977: 171. 108 I owe this information to the kindness of Anna L. Dallapiccola, who here refers to an
incorrect observation made by Thomas in his unpublished thesis (1979: 335, panel 17 (1:17]). Here, he discusses Ramachandran 1943: 82 and plate XI (Rşabhadeva)