Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 493

468 STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SÜTRA [Ch. Vifi caused by the God, Indra through Harinegamesī, as it was not desirable that an Arhat or a Cakravarttin or a Baladeva or a Vasudeva or a Tirthankara should be born in a Brahmana family or a poor family."
The echoes of the same story of the transfer of the embryo as recorded in the Kalpa Sūtra' is also heard in the Bhs in connection with the holy teachings of the Master on the function of Harinegamesī.
In this connection it should be observed that Lord Mahāvīra is attributed with the epithets Kāsavā'' (Kāšyapa),
Samana' *Niganthanāta (or nāya) putta' (Sramaņa Nirgranthajñātrputra)" by which he was also known to the Buddhists of his time.
The epithet “Nāyaputta' denotes that he was the scion of the Nāya-Nāta or Jnātr clan of the Ksatriyas, just as Lord Buddha was known by the epithet Sākyaputra', for he was a son of the Sākya clan, while the attributive title .Kāsavā' signifies that he belonged to the Kāśyapagotra.
Thus one evidence of the Bhs reveals that Lord Mahāvīra was born in the Brāhmana family of Rşabhadatta of Brāhmanakundagrāma, while the other shows that he belonged to the Jaātr clan of the Ksatriyas' and the third one suggests the transfer of his embryo from the womb of Devānandā, to that of Trisalā, the wife of king Siddbārtha belonging to that clan, as it is recorded in the Kalpa Sútra.?
But the Digambara tradition does not believe in the story of the removal of his embryo by Harinegames and tells that he was born in the Jhātr Ksatriya family of king Siddhārtha.
1 Kalpa Sütrá 17. lb, 28. 8 Bhs, 5, 1, 187. 4 Ib, 15, 1, 540. 6 16., 15, 1, 547. 6 Dialogues of the Buddha S, B, E. II. p. 60, (Sāmaññaphala). 7 Kalpa-Sutra, 28. 8 Apabhrança Mahapurāna-Sandhi 95-102 (Life of Mahāvīra).