Jain Journal 1984 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 18

Fresh Light on Bhagavan Mahavira's
Birth Place
AJAY KUMAR SINHA
Bhagavan Mahavira, the twenty fourth and last Jaina Tirthankara, laid down strong foundations of Jainism. Unlike preceeding Tirthankaras, his life recieved extensive treatment in the early Jaina literature which furnishes full detail. The Acārānga Sūtra, probably the earliest canonical work of the Svetambara sect contains a detailed description of Bhagavan Mahavira's life from the time of entrance into the womb of Devananda, a brahmin lady and the transfer of embryo from Devananda to the Ksatriya lady Trisala, wife of King Siddhartha of Ksatriya Kundagrama. The Kalpasütra also gives similar description.
There is a strong controversy upon the identification of Kastriya Kundagrama, the birth place of Bhagavan Mahavira. The Digambara sect worships Kundalapura as his birth place while the Svetambara Jainas pay their reverance at Janmasthan near Lachhwad. Some western as well as Indian historians, on the other hand, identified Vaisali as Bhagavan Mahavira's birth place.
The present author, being an archaeologist, surveyed all the above mentioned three places-Kundalapura, Lachhwad and Vaisali with a view to pick up the real truth. His observations are based upon the literary, geological, geographical, archaeological, linguistic and historical datas.
The literary evidences are preserved in the Acārārga Sūtra and the Kalpasūtra mainly. Bhagavan Mahavira entered into the womb of Devananda, wife of Rsabhadeva, a brahman residing in the village Brahmana Kundagrama (Mahana Kundagame). According to the Kalpasūtra, Devananda saw the following fourteen objects in her dream-an elephant, a bull, a lion, an anointment, a pair of garlands, the moon, the sun, a flag, a vase, a lotus lake, the ocean, a celestial abode, a heap of jewels and flame. Then the following idea struck the mind of Sakra (Indra), the king of gods. “It never has happened, nor does it happen, that Arhats Cakravartins, Baladevas or Vasudevas in the past, present or future, should be born in low families, mean families, degraded families, poor
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