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Lord Mahavira
exchanged for a girl, to save him from the demon king Kamsa; but this was to put him among the cowherds and the whole context is different.
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The Kshatriya mother Trisala then sees fourteen lucky signs in dreams, of which the first is a white elephant with four tusks, and the fourth is the beautiful goddess Sri, whose lovely body is described by the monkish writers at greatest length and with an attention to detail that even surpasses the Mahavastu description of Buddhas's mother, and is more reminiscent of the Song of Solomon. It is said that every mother of a Tirthankara sees these fourteen dreams, in the night in which the famous Arhat enters her womb. And when her husband calls the dream-interpreters they declare that when mothers have these fourteen great dreams their boy will be either a universal monarch, or a Jina who rules universally by Dharma. There are close parallels with Buddhist ideas. 5
The baby Mahâvîra did not move in his mother's womb, but when this stillness alarmed her he quivered a little. In the night of his birth there was a divine lustre, caused by many gods and goddesses descending and ascending. He was born at a fixed auspicious time, a perfectly healthy boy, and the mother perfectly healthy herself. His parents called him Vardhamana, but the gods gave him the name of Mahâvîra, 'great Hero'.
The Acaranga Sutra says that Mahâvîra's parents were worshippers of the previous Jina, Parsva, and although they were Kshatriyas they were not rulers. For many years they followed the ascetic way, and finally rejected all food and fasted to death, thus getting rid of karma. They were reborn as gods and will eventually attain final Nirvana. Mahâvîra adopted the life of a householder, married Yasoda (Buddha's wife was Yasodhara), and had a daughter. The Kalpa Sutra says that while still in the womb Mahâvîra had vowed not to undertake the ascetic life during the life of his parents. But when they had gone to the world of the gods, with the permission of his elder brother and the authorities of the kingdom, he made the great renunciation. The gods praised him, saying: 'Best of Kshatriyas, establish the religion of Dharma, which benefits all living beings in the whole universe.' Sakra, king of the gods, produced by magic a gorgeous palanquin with a costly throne, and sat Mahâvîra in it while circumambulating him
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