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LIFE OF MAHÁVÍRA.
ence to this transaction there are three kinds of
knowledge the adorable ascetic Mahávíra may be supposed to have had; that he was to descend, that he had; that he was descending, that he had not; and that he had descended, that he had.
On that very night on which the adorable ascetic Mahávíra took the form of an embryo in the womb of Devanandi, of the family of Jalandhara, the same Devanandi was lying on her couch, and after sleeping a short time wakened up after seeing the following most excellent, prosperityforeboding, evil-destroying, wealth-conferring, fortunate, delightsome objects in a dream. The objects were as follows: an elephant, a bull, a lion, the goddess Lakshmi, a garland of flowers, the moon, the sun, a military ensign, a large jar, the lotus lake, the sea (of milk), the celestial residence of the sages, a collection of pearls, a smokeless flame of fire*. Such were the fourteen most excellent, prosperityforeboding, evil-destroying, wealth-conferring, fortunate, delightsomet dreams which Devanandi
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*The original is as follows:
गय बसह मीह अभिसेव्य दाम समि दिण्यरं ज्झयं कुभं पउमसरं सागर विमाणभवण रयणुच्चय मिहिच
This and similar repetitions, with which the originalabounds, I shall in future generally omit.
