Heart of Jainism

Author(s): Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson

Page 49

THE LIFE OF MAHÅVIRA
23
whose colour was whiter than a cloud, a heap of pearls, the spray of water, or moonbeams, and the sound of whose voice was like thunder.
Then she saw a white bull, whiter than the petals of the ii lotus, which diffused a glory of light on all around, and this --so one sect of the Jaina, the Digambara, say--foretold the birth of a great religious teacher who should spread the light of knowledge. Another sect, however, the Sthāna. kavāsi, hold that it showed that he should have strength to bear the yoke of religion, for the yoke that a Jaina ascetic must bear is not light, and no weakling can endure it.
The next dream prophesied that she should bear one iii who should overcome all his enemies (i. e. his karma, the results of his actions): for she saw a magnificent white lion leap from the sky towards her face; his cyes were like pure lightning, and his tongue came out of his mouth like a shoot of beauty'. This further foretold that Mahāvīra should be the lion of houseless monks', and so he has the lion as his symbol.
The fourth dream was of the beautiful goddess Śrī or iv Lakşmi (the goddess of wealth), whom Trisalā saw floating on the petals of a lotus in the lotus lake on Mount Himavata, with guardian elephants'anointing' her with water, and this she knew meant that her son should be an 'anointed' king.
Next, a garland 1 of sweet-smelling Mandāra flowers fore- v told how fragrant the body of the little child should be.
The white moono dispelling the darkness of the wildest vi wilderness again prophesied a religious preacher.
The radiant sun,3 red as the beak of a parrot, which vii
1 The Sthānakavāsi say there were two garlands.
? In all the pictures of this moon vision a stag is seen in the centre of the moon. The general belief of all Indians is that there is either a stag or a hare inhabiting the moon. There are a score or more of names for the moon in Sanskrit, and a dozen at least are derived from this belief. The villagers, however, find in the moon an old woman spinning a wheel and a she-goat standing by her.
3 The Digambara assert that she saw the sun before the dream about the moon.