Jain Legend Vol 1

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

Page 39

to become a cakravart (emperor). His four friends were born as his brothers B hu, Sub hu, P ha and Mah p ha and became provincial kings. When his father, T rthamkara Vajrasena, after attaining omniscience (keval ), started delivering his religious sermons, the cakravart Vajran bha (due to his past good merits) too accepted initiation (renounced the world). He did penance for a long time and through right devotion of twenty kinds attained T rthamkara status in that very life, and at the end of his life, became ahamindra deva (chief god) in the anuttara vim na (highest class of gods) of the sarv rthaSiddha heaven.
Birth
After completing his life as Vajran bha, moving from sarv rthasiddha on the 14" day of the dark fortnight of the month of dha, under the uttar dh constellation, Vabhan tha entered into the womb of his mother Marudev. In the latter half of that night mother Marudev saw the following 14 auspicious dreams: 1. elephant 2. Bull, 3. Lion 4. Lak m the goddess 5. A garland / wreath of flowers 6. The moon 7. The sun 8. A flag 9. An urn 10. Lotus pond 11. An ocean of milk 12. A vim na (a heavenly space vehicle) 13. A heap of gems and 14. Smokeless fire.
Mothers of T rthamkara who gain the n ma-karma of T rthamkara coming from the hell worlds dream of a palace in place of a vehicle whereas mothers of those coming from the deva-loka (abode of gods) dream of a vehicle. As per numbers mothers of cakravarts and T rthamkara see 14 dreams. In the Digambara tradition we find, in addition, a pair of fish and throne to make it 16 dreams.
Here it is worth remembering that mothers of all the T rthamkara' first see an elephant entering their mouths, whereas Marudev first saw a bull entering into her mouth. Awakened by the dream Marudev went to king N bhi and explained to him the dreams. With his experiential knowledge king N bhi explained the fruit of the dreams. When the delivery period ended happily Marudev gave birth to her son on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the Caitra month on the day of K am under the constellation uttar ādhā. At some places the birth occurs on a navam (ninth) instead of a tam (eighth) which is perhaps based on the time of
39