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any doubt about their order. The picture becomes complete only when the mother who dreams is shown instead of showing merely the dreams. Then one can understand it easily. At the bottom of the page a grand sketch of the mother lying down on a beautiful royal cot is drawn to maintain the consistency of the dreams.
This picture can be introduced in the album, of the pictures of any Tirthankar. To give birth is only a woman's privilege. This is the universal truth. So it is only the woman who can have the above dreams from the beginning of humanity till its end. Males can never have such dreams. To give birth to a Tirthankar is the great responsibi lity of only a woman. So every woman must be proud of the fact.
One of the many reasons for drawing this picture was that on a Samvachchhari (Annual) day while reading the Kalpa Sutra-Barasa one has to describe these dreams for a long time. It was necessary to keep a picture in front at that time so that the listeners would remain active. Painting 10: Trishala, the queen is shown resting at the
retreat surrounded by banana trees. Beside her, is the child (Bhagavan Mahavira). Around her are the fifty-six presiding maids of the directions who have arrived there from the world of the divine to celebrate the birth of the child. They are shown performing Rasa dance with expression of joy and singing about the glory of Bhagavan Mahavira. Painting 11: Saudharmendra the ruler of heaven is shown as assuming five forms with divine power as he wants to secure all the benefit of the holy devotion to Bhagavan Mahavira, the saviour. With one form he holds new-born Bhagavan Mahavira, with two forms he moves the chowries, with the fourth form he holds the royal umbrella and with the fifth form he wields the adamant. The illustration shows Saudharmendra flying to the Meru mountain. Painting 12: Saudharmendra is shown with Bhagavan Mahavira, resting on his lap while he is sitting on the coronation stone on the Meru mountain, and some gods pour holy water on Bhagavan Mahavira while some stand in a line, with pitchers and materials for worship. The remaining group of gods in the sky sings with devotion the glory of Bhagavan Mahavira. Painting 13: There is no tradition in Jain community to draw pictures showing parents loving their children in predominantly spiritual and sensitive religious environment. During thousands of years a picture of the parents of a Tirthankar loving or fondling their son is not found in any temple or in any manuscript. So this picture is prepared. Many will like it.
The shape of the face of the mother and that of the son may be drawn in various ways. Every one will have his choice. An artist's choice is based on his own imagination. Painting 14 to 16 are self-explanatory. Painting 17: The album of Bhagavan Mahavira is so far incomplete without important and common pictures of his domestic life. So five incidents of his domestic life have been depicted here.
The first picture depicts the wedding of Yashoda and Vardhamankumar. In the picture Yashoda first puts a garland (Varmala) around the neck of Vardhamankumar. The garland is seen hanging round his neck. Then Vardhamankumar puts a garland (Varmala) round the neck of his future wife Yashoda. In the second picture they are shown loving and fondling their new born daughter. In the third the husband Vardhamankumar is seen talking happily with his wife Yashoda. In the fourth he is shown as exchanging words with his Kshatriya friends.
This picture shows, five incidents, including his wedding, based on his domestic life. Four pictures are drawn in four directions and at the centre in a circle Vardhamankumar is pointed with a bow and arrows to indicate that he is a Kshatriya prince.
I do not think it proper that Yashoda being the wife of a perfect man should remain obscure, behind a curtain. So I tried to make both of them alive in this picture. Painting 18: The family of Bhagavan Mahavira's father, king Siddhartha is illustrated here at a get-together evening scene. Painting 19: This illustrates what a brother feels at the very idea of separation from a brother. Here Bhagavan Mahavira is shown as seeking with modesty the permission of his elder brother for allowing him to be initiated into the holy order of ascetics and for this purpose he is standing before his elder brother with folded hands. This illustration inspi. res the modern generation to learn the lesson of courtesy. Painting 20: The biography of Bhagavan Mahavira is recorded in 'Agam'. Afterwards many different scholars have written his short or long biographies in Prakrit and Sanskrit. In all of them one will find surprising difference in subjects and opinions.
Certain details recorded in these biographies are so different that everyone will be surprised to note them. Jain Acharyas and Sadhus might not have gone through all of them. If they have gone through them, they might have forgotten the details. Perhaps they might have read them in a hurry. So they might have overlooked them. If any writer writes any details not known to them, they come forward to criticise him bitterly and bitingly. They comment that the author has not written according to the
Shastras and add that he has misrepresented the facts about Bhagavan Mahavira. I humbly request such critics that they should ask for the explanation from the author or should read themselves other biographies before commenting. Then all their doubts will be dispelled.
Generally the Kalpa-Sutra and "Trishashti Shalaka Purush Charitra' are often read by many. If the reader finds anything new which is not mentioned in the above books, he is upset. Whatever may be the reason, there is no consistency in the biographies of Bhagavan Mahavira. The same tradition is not maintained in all these biographies. His biographies were written a thousand years after his "Nirvana'. I simply wonder at the differences. Research scholars must find out the reasons behind these various narrations.
The incidents which are depicted here are based on description found in the 'Kalpa-Sutra-Tika' and other books. Tirthankars have a right to worship when they are house holders before their initiation into a religious rite. This we find recorded in the Kalpa Sutra and biographies. Hence Bhagavan Mahavira is shown as worshipping. How did he spend two years before his initiation? Readers may be eager to know about it, so I have presented two incidents, in (i) showing him worshipping, (ii) showing him as lost in meditation-Dhyana, suggesting, how he spent his
time during that period. Painting 21: This is self-explanatory. Painting 22: Bhagavan Mahavira gives holy gifts as desired by the mendicants at the gift-house. Hundreds of people are seen ready to receive alms while gods are shown ready to do their duty. Bhagavan Mahavira would like to give as much as the mendicant would ask for but the gods restrict the alms as per the destiny of the mendicant and return the surplus to the treasure.
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TATA
मधुबिन्दनुं द्रष्टांत
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९सुतारा (सुतारका) ।
१० अशोका
११ मानवी
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१५.कन्दर्पा (प्रजाति-पन्नगी-आ
१६. निर्वाणी
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