$JES 203 First Step of Jainism Level 2 Book

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 49

LIFE OF BHAGAWAN MAHAVIR
Life of Bhagawän Mahävir 3.1 Previous Lives 3.2 Birth and Childhood
It is believed that all Tirthankars are born in the Kshatriya (warrior) royal family because it provides a surrounding that helps a realized person to understand that there is no permanent happiness in material comfort.
Queen Trishalä, just like the mother of any other Tirthankar, saw 14 objects in her dreams: lion, elephant, bull, Lakshmi, garland, full moon, sun, flag, vase, lotus lake, ocean, celestial plane, heap of jewels, smokeless fire, adding (Digambar tradition believes the mother sees 16 dreams, adding a pair of fish and a throne). When her husband, King Siddhartha, asked the dream interpreters and scholars the meaning of the dreams, they proclaimed that Queen Trishalä would give birth to a Tirthankar.
Depicts Bhagawan Mahävir's past life from Nayasar to
Nandan Muni
The lives of Bhagawan Mahävir are counted
en he attained self-realization (Samyaktva). The
amvaktva) The significant lives are Nayasar (birth no. 1), Marichi (birth no. 3), Triprushtha Väsudev (birth no. 16), Vishvabhuti (birth no. 18), Priyamitra Chakravarti (birth no. 23) and
ã Nandan Muni (birth no. 25).
While in the womb, Bhagawän Mahävir had once been very still so as not to disturb and provide any pain to his mother. Not feeling any movement Queen Trishalä was very worried tha very worried that something was wrong with the baby in the womb. Realizing how worried his mother had been on his behalf, he had decided not to take the religious vow of Renunciation and leave his family while his parents were alive. Soon after his birth Indra (king of heavenly gods) takes the baby Tirthankar to Mount Meru and performs the birth ceremony (Janma Abhisheka) with great rejoicing and celebration. After that he returns the baby to mother Trishalä's bedside.
It is in the life of Nandan Muni that he attained Tirthankar Näm-Karma. At the end of that life he was born as a Deva. Then, in the third life after Nandan Muni, he was born as Vardhamän Mahävir.
THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM
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