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APRIL, 1973
At that time, in that period, Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira had, when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni, five auspicious events, which were at the Uttaraphalguni, he descended, and having descended, he entered into the womb; at the Uttaraphalguni, he was transferred from one womb to another; at the Uttaraphalguni, he was born; at the Uttaraphalguni, he was tonsured, and having given up home, he courted the life of the homeless (monk); at the Uttaraphalguni (again), he became the master of infinite, supreme unobstructed, unimpeded, absolute and perfect kevala knowledge and faith. at the Svati, he entered into liberation. 1
(But)
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At that time, in that period, in the fourth month of summer in the eighth fortnight, on the sixth day of the bright-half of the month of Asadha, having completed his life for twenty sägaropamas, in the great vimāna named Mahavijaya-puspottara, which is the best among all the lotus-like vimānas, [on the exhaustion of life-span, existence and stay], Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira descended, and having descended in the land (varsa) named Bharata in the isle (dvipa-continent) of Jambu, when had ended all the years of the all-bracing part of the descension phase of the time-cycle, all the years of the bracing part, all the years of the bracing-unbracing part, and many years of the unbracing-bracing part, [on the expiry of crores of sagaropamas less forty two thousand years], when there still remained seventyfive years eight and a half months of this part, after the liberation of twentyone. Tirthankaras who were born in the race of Iksvaku in the line of Kasyapa, and of two others born in the race of Hari in the line of Gautama, twentythree Tirthankaras (in all), and after the exhaustion of his stay, life-span and existence (in the aforesaid vimāna), at a time when the moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni, at the confluence of the two halves of the night, as predicted by the preceding Tirthankaras, Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira entered as an embryo in the womb of Brahmani Devananda of the line of Jalandhara, the consort of Brahmana Risabhadatta of the line of Kodala, in the city of Brahmana Kundagrama. 2
Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira was the master of three types of knowledge. Knew he-'I shall descend'. Knew he not-'I am descending'. Knew he-'I have descended'. The night during which Sramana Bhagavan Mahavira entered as an embryo in the womb of Brahmani Devananda of the line of Jalandhara, during that night, Brahmani Devananda, lying on her couch, half asleep and half awake, dreamt these noble, beautiful, blissful, blest, auspicious and fortunate fourteen great dreams and woke up. 3
They are: an elephant, an ox, a lion, anointment, a garland, the
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