Tirthankar Mahavir and His Sarvodaya Tirth

Author(s): Hukamchand Bharilla, K C Lalwani
Publisher: Kundkund Kahan Digambar Jain Trust

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TIRTHANKARA MAHAVIRA AND HIS SARVODAYA TIRTHA
affluence and luxury, living apart as the lotus does in the midst of water, during the next twelve years, he was devoted to severe penances in the midst of dense forests, and during the next thirty years, he was busy with the formation of the Sarvodaya order and propagation of its message far and wide But the details of his life as are available in the history and the Purānas may be stated as follows:
About 2572 years from now, in the land of Bharata, there was a prosperous city named Vaisalı which was the centre of the Gana-republics In his travel account, the Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang has described Vaisali to be a beautiful city spread out several miles 1 The head of the republic was king Cetaka. In that republic, there was a beautiful city named Kundalapura
Siddhartha who belonged to the Licchavi clan was the ruling monarch in that city. The name of his wife was Trisala As she was highly beloved of the king. She was also called Priya karini. In fact, what to speak of the king, she was the beloved of all She was tender by nature, soft in speech, a very noble hearted lady She happened to be the eldest daughter of king Cetaka, the head of the confederacy King Siddhartha enjoyed a dignified place in the confederacy of the nine clans which constituted the Licchavi republic, one was the Natha or Jnatri clan King Siddhartha belonged to this clan of the Ksatriyas
One night as queen Priyakarını was sleeping in peace in the famous palace Nandyavarta in the city of Kundalapura, she dreamt
very fine dreams which were as follows:
(1) an infatuated elephant, (2) a white bull with high shoulders,
a roaring lion, (4) Goddess Laksmi seated on a lotus throne, (5) two fragrant garlands, the moon surrounded by stars, (7) the rising sun, (8) two golden jars covered by lotus leaves, (9) a pair of fish at play in water, (10) a pool of clean water, (11) a sea making a loud roar, (12) a throne studded with gems, (13) a heavenly abode shining with jewels, (14) Dharanendra's huge palace kissing the sky, (15) a heap of gems and (16) a smokeless fire.
1 Trayel Account of Hiuen Tsang (in Hindı), pp.262-65.