History of Jaina Monachism

Author(s): S B Deo
Publisher: Deccan College Research Institute

Page 70

HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
65 vira as anti-Brāhmanical, as also the representative of the Kshatriyas alone in this ideological revolution, the seeds of which, as we have seen elsewhere, were sown long before his advent.
Against this background it would be better for us to note his life-story and then to evaluate his career. His Life-story:
Vardhamāna ‘Mahāvira' was born at Kundapura or Kundagrāma.53 His father's name was Siddhārtha who belonged to the jnātr Kshatriyas. His mother was Tisalā who was the sister of king Cetaka, the ruler of Vaiśālī and belonging to the Licchavī Kshatriyas. Thus on the father's as well as on the mother's side he belonged to the royal Kshatriya stock.
An incident regarding the birth of Mahāvīra, which, it may be noted, is accepted only by the “vetāmbaras, cannot be ignored. It is said that Mahāvīra was first conceived in the womb of a Brahmin lady called Devānandā, but was later transferred to the womb of Tisalā Khattiyānī as "Tirthankaras are not born in the Brahmin families'.54 Even though the whole incident has been discredited by the Digambaras, the Bhagavatīsūtra puts this episode in the mouth of Mahāvīra himself. The incident described there is that of Devananda and Usabhadatta, the original parents, coming to see Mahāvīra when the latter was famous as a preacher. On seeing Mahāvīra, milk flowed from the breast of Devanandā due to the strong motherly love she bore towards him. Goyama asked his Master the reason of this, upon which the latter admitted that he was the son of Devānanda. The text goes on to say that these original parents of Mahāvīra accepted the order of their Jaina son.55
Curious enough, the tradition about this transfer of the womb goes back to the beginning of the Christian era or even earlier, as it is found depicted in one of the Mathurā sculptures.56
To return to our subject, after his birth, Mahāvīra grew up and was in due course married to Yasodā and had a daughter called Anojjā or
53. Vaisali has been identified with Basarh: Distt. Muzaffarpur, and Kundagrāma with Basukund by Nando Lal DEY, G.D. p. 107; See also, GHATGE, Age of Imperial Unity, p. 413.
54. Kalpasútra, JACOBI, p. 225; Smv. p. 89a; Thān. p. 523b; Acār. II, 15, 4-5 (pp. 190-91).
55. Bhag. pp. 457-48: (9.33): This may be one of the causes of his having Brahmin disciples.
56. ASR, XX, pt. IV, 2-5; Regarding this transfer of womb, CHARPENTIER remarks, "The Digambaras seem to hold the more sensible opinion"-CHI, i, p. 158.
BULL, DCRI.--9