Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Boolchand
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 29

( 22 ) manical part of the place Kundapura to the northern Kshattriya part of the same place, rejecting the unclean matter, lodged the foetus in the womb of Trisala of the Vasishta gotra, wife of the Kshattriya Siddhartha, of the Kashyapa gotra, of the clan of Jnatris, and lodged the foetus of the Kshattriyani Trisala in the womb of Devananda, of the Jalandhrayana gotra...
The Digambara account rejects this legend as 'absurd,' but the Svetambaras strongly uphold its truth. As the legend is found in the Acharanga, the Kalpa-Sutra, and many other books it cannot be doubted that it is very old; but it is not at all clear why it was invented and given such currency. There are, however, in the Bhagawati-another sutra in the Svetambara canon, two references that would throw further light on the question and would possibly help us in finding a solution. In Sataka V Uddesa IV, in reply to a question regarding the possiblity and the procedure of the change of embryo, Mahavira declared that a change of embryo was quite possible and stated his position regarding the procedure by which the change might take place, but significantly omitted to mention- although it would have been quite proper for him in that context to do som the change of his own embryo. Again, in Sataka IX, Uddesa XXXIII, there is reference to the visit to Mahavira's camp of the Brahmana Rishabhadatta and his wife Devananda. On the sight of Mahavira, Devananda had a sudden maternal emotion and milk started coming out of her breast. Asked by his chief disciple Gautama to explain the reason of this unusal occurrence, Mahavira plainly stated that Devananda was his mother. He made no mention whatever of Trisala or of the episode of the change of embryo.
These two references are a pointer to the fact that. actually there was no change of Mahavira's embryo. The Bhagwati, which makes a record of the actual con--