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Bhagawan Mahavir]
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After completing its life in the tenth heaven, the soul of Lord Mahavira descended to take its twentyseventh birth in 'Mahakunda-grama'. There lived in this village a Brahmana named Rishabhadatta whose wife, Devananda was to become the mother of Lord Mahavira. It was the sixth bright night of Ashadha when the soul of Lord Mahavira came into the womb of Devananda carring with him Mati. (sensitive), knowledge Shruti (Knowledge of scriptures) and Avadhi-Jnana (knowledge of time). Before concieving, Devananda saw fourteen auspicious dreams. She was very much pleased to think that her future was very bright. She began to praise her own fate and that of her family again and again. Among the souls that come to this world from heaven, none possesses Avadhi-Jnana except the soul of a Tirthankara. Even the Tirthankara does not know about his descent. Endless time is required for the practice of Avadhi-Jnana while the time of descent is very small. That is why a Thirthankara does not have any knowledge of the time of his descent, but after taking birth, he knows how he came there. Lord Mahavira, too, came to know all about his coming to this world, after he had entered the womb of his mother.
Devananda now began to take care of her embryo very earnestly. By the way we think it proper to describe here how the will power of the parents acts upon the mind and the constitution of their progeny. The psychologists point out that mind is called will-power. The greater the willpower the nobler the man, and the weaker it is the meaner he becomes. This will-power is of two kinds-visible and invisible. The invisible will-power alone is required for
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