Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): D C Sirkar
Publisher: University of Calcutta

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RELIGION AND CULTURE OF THE JAINS
in the mythology of the Jains are evidently adopted from the mainstream of India's traditional ideas.
The story that Mahāvīra was originally conceived by a Brāhmaņa woman, but that the embryo was transferred by a god to the womb of a Kșatriya lady is interesting in this respect. That a miracle should happen in connection with the birth of the most renowned and revered Tirthankara was recognised ; so the miraculous transfer of the embryo was conceived apparently on the analogy of the similar miracle associated with the birth of the Hindu avatāra Krşņa. This conception brings out another significant fact. It shows the bias of the Jains against the Brāhmaṇa and their preference for the Ksatriya. A Brāhmana mother was not worthy en give birth to a Tirthankara. Then, again, the mother of the
was made to dream the stereotyped number of fourteen dreams before his birth. This dream conception has its parallel too in the Buddhist mythology.
But the most important aspect of the Tirthařkara myth is the attribution of supernatural powers to the Tirthankara. Though human and mortal, they are not like ordinary men ; they have extraordinary statures and generally have fantastically long life-spans. They have beside them non-human Yakşas and Yaksiņis like the Hindu deities and great Buddhist personalities.* Though scrupulously differentiated from the gods of the Hindu pantheon, Jain Tirthankaras were ultimately given attributes of the Hindu gods and are now worshipped like them.
*[The Jain conception about such attendants is more uniform and regular than in the case of Hindu deities and Buddhist divinities.Ed.]