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१३१
(Lord Mahavir answered - "Gou tam. she is my own mother. I was born of her. That is why because of love and excitement from seeing her son after a long long time her body is shivering and milk is oozing out of her breasts." The Lord then addressed the gathering including Rishabhdutta and Devananda and after hearing His sermon the gathering dispersed.)
The abovementioned narration, in my view, conclusively shows that Devananda herself had given birth to Mahavir. Such an ecstatic excitement at seeing her son after a long time and in such an enlightened state could only emerge in a lady who had experienced the pangs of giving birth to him. Devananda was not an enlightened one and she or anybody else could not have knowledge of the so called transfer of embryo from her womb on the 83rd day of her pregnancy. Lord Mahavir while answering Goutam’s query does not speak either about the so called transfer. The Lord on the contrary asserts in clearest terms that he was born of her. It would be a travesty of facts if we in our zeal to upgrade the parentage from the so called low caste of Brahmin to the so called upper caste of Khsatriyas and stick to a myth created with a bias against Brahmins and most probably to show oneup-manship over the Brahminical myths. The husk should be sorted, out of the rice. The ancient scriptures thus need to be interpreted rationally and honestly with a visionary's perception to straighten the historical records.
References 1. Tulsi Prajna (Quarterly Magazine vol. 104, Issue-4, March, 1998
Pages 155-161) Ed. Dr. Parameswar Solanki, Published by Jain Viswa
Bharati. Ladnun. 2. Acharya Hemchandra Suri, Trishasti-Salaka-Purus-Carita (98 10.
246 16-19). 3. Kalpa Sutra, Acharya Bhadrabahu (97791-17) Editor : Muni Punya
Vijay. 4. Bhagvati Sutra (P16 - 9, JE 977 - 33, 7799 - 4,5). 5. Acharanga Sutra (Third Chulika-Bhawna. Chapter 24, Stanza
991-993).
