Trishala, also known as Videhadatta, Priyakarini, or Trishala Mata (Mother ''Trishala''), was the mother of

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

, the 24th

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

, and wife of the Gaṇa Mukhya,

Siddhartha of Kundagrama Siddhartha was the father of Mahavira (Vardhamana), the 24th Jain Tirthankara. He was a Kshatriya ruler from the Ikshvaku dynasty and the Gaṇa Mukhya of the Nāya clan in Kundagrama, a suburb of Vaishali. He was married to Licchavi pri ...

, of present-day

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. She finds mention in the

Jain texts Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jainism, Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which ...

Life

Trishala was born as a

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

of the Licchavi Republic. The Jain text

Uttarapurāṇa ''Uttarapurāṇa'' is a Jain text composed by ''Acharya'' Gunabhadra in the 9th century CE. According to the Digambara ''Uttarapurana'' text, Mahavira was born in Kundpur in the Kingdom of the Videhas Videha ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; San ...

details the life of all Tirthankaras and other Salakapurusa. It is mentioned in the text that Consul Chetaka of Vaishali had ten brothers and seven sisters. His sister Priyakarini (Trishala) was married to Siddartha. As per Shvetambara texts and Indologist

Hermann Jacobi Hermann Georg Jacobi (11 February 1850 – 19 October 1937) was an eminent German Indologist. Education Jacobi was born in Köln (Cologne) on 11 February 1850. He was educated in the gymnasium of Cologne and then went to the University of Be ...

, Vardhamana

's mother Trishala was sister of Consul Chetaka. His third wife, ''Kshema'', was a daughter of the chief of the

Madra Madra (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-western India whose existence is attested since the Iron Age (c.1100–500 BCE). The members of the Madra tribe were called the Madrakas. Location The Madras were divided into -Madr ...

tribe of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. Trishala had seven sisters, one of whom was initiated into the Jain monastic order while the other six married famous kings, including

Bimbisara Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories ( or ) was the King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi 262010p. 166f. or ) and belonged to the Haryanka d ...

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

. She and her husband Siddhartha were followers of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara according to the second chapter of the Śvētāmbara

Ācārāṅga Sūtra The Ācārāṅga Sūtra, the foremost and oldest Jain text (''First book'' c. 5th–4th century BCE; Second book c. Late 4th–2nd century BCE), is the first of the twelve Angas, part of the agamas which were compiled based on the teachings o ...

. According to Jain texts, Trishala carried her son for nine months and seven and a half days during the 6th century BC. However, Shvetambaras generally believe that he was conceived by Devananda, the wife of a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

Rishabhadatta and the fetus was transferred to Trishala's womb by

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

because all Tirthankaras have to be

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

s. All this is mentioned in the Shvetambara text, '' Kalpasutra'', which is primarily a biography of the Tirthankaras.

Auspicious dreams

According to the Jain scriptures, the mother of ''Tirthankaras'' see a number of auspicious dreams when the embryo is enliven through the descent of the life (soul) in the mortal body. This is celebrated as ''Garbha Kalyanaka''. According to the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

sect, the number of dreams is 16. While the Shvetambara sect believe them to be only fourteen. After seeing these dreams, she woke her husband Consul Siddhartha and told him about the dreams. The next day Siddhartha summoned the scholars of the court and asked them to explain the meaning of the dreams. According to the scholars, these dreams meant that the child would be born very strong, courageous, and full of virtue. # Dream of an elephant (

Airavata Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events in the Life of Jina Rishabhanatha), c. 1670� ...

) # Dream of a bull # Dream of a lion # Dream of

Laxmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

# Dream of flowers # Dream of a full moon # Dream of the sun # Dream of a large banner # Dream of a silver urn (

Kalasha A kalasha, also called Pūrṇa-Kalaśa, Pūrṇa-Kumbha, Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa, also called ghat or ghot or kumbh ( , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large ...

) # Dream of a lake filled with lotuses # Dream of a milky-white sea # Dream of a celestial vehicle (

Vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

) # Dream of a heap of gems # Dream of a fire without smoke # Dream of a pair of fish (Digambara) # Dream of a throne (Digambara)

Legacy

Today members of the Jain religion celebrate the event of the Dreams. This event is called ''Swapna Darshan'' and is often part of "Ghee Boli". The parents of Tirthankaras and their mothers in particular are worshipped among Jains and are frequently depicted in paintings and sculpture.

References

Citations

Sources

* *
FreeIndia.org

JainWorld

Trishla Mata Temple Mahavirpuram

External links

{{Authority control Indian female royalty 6th-century BC Indian Jains Indian queens consort Ancient Indian women Family of Mahavira People from the Vajjika League Indian princesses Licchavis