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monastic practice during the rains.
Until Günther Sontheimer's recent discovery, the survival of the Vratyas with their typically shamanistic costume in Lord Khandoba's Vāghyās in Mahārāṣṭra was unknown. Did they emigrate from Magadha to the west and south at some time at some point, together with the Jains and the Buddhists ? Now, as we have seen, the Vratyas on the one hand influenced the two religions mentioned. They represent, therefore, not only a reaction to the post-Vedic sacrificial speculations of the brahmin priests, which were unintelligible for the ordinary warrior, peasant, or herdsman, but also carry on pre-Vedic traditions. On the other hand, popular Buddhism took over features of Indra, the Rgveda's central hero, and of Prajapati. In what follows we shall have a closer look at some characteristics of these deities in order to show how, already in pre-Christian times, they were applied to the Mahapurusas, as the Great Men of the Indian religions are called.. To that end, we shall begin with their conception, because, as is well-known, exceptional beings do not come into existence in the normal fashion, neither in India nor elsewhere.53 Among the unusual ways of conception we have that of a woman's navel being touched by a god or an ascetic.54 This type of birth occurs in Buddhist legends, too, but not in Jaina hagiography. However, both Vaddhamāṇa Mahāvīra and Gotama Siddhattha drop from heaven, where, in a previous existence, they had divine status, into their mother's womb.
The Jaina canon does not yet know of a reminiscence of previous existences which, still present in the womb, disappears at birth through claustrophobia or pains, as is described, e.g. in the Garbhopanised.55 This reminiscence does not recur before the Jina reaches transcendental knowledge (avadhi-jñāna). The future Jina, however, knows that he has to descend into a new existence; he is conscious of having accomplished the descent. All that he does not know is the exact moment (Ayar 2,15,3 = Kappa §3). In post-canonical Buddhist literature we shall meet with similar phaenomena.
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52
56
Given the importance placed on ritual purity already by the Vratyas, we may add here that the canonical texts of both new religions mention explicitly the purity of descent of Mahāvīra's and Gotama's princely
55
52 Sontheimer 1987a: 8 sq.; Id. 1989b: 302.
53 See, e.g. Jones 1970: 37 sqq.
54 E. g. in the case of Kunti (Mbh cr. ed. 3,291,23) and Dirghatamas (Mbh 1,98,31), cf. also Windisch 1908: 20. The navel is a place of origin: Brahma on a lotus arises from Visnu's navel, etc. Cf., e.g. Fodor 1949: 143 sqq.
Upanisatsamgraha 1970: 150 §4 in fine: atha jantuḥ stri-yoni-satam yoni-dvāri samprapto yantrenâpiḍyamano mahata duḥkhena jāta-mātras tu vaiṣṇavena vayunā samspṛśya tada na smarati janma-maranam na ca karma subhâśubham. 56 Implicit at Ayar 2,15,26 corresponding to Kappa Jinac §121.