Dreams Of Mother Trishala - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Dreams of Mother Trishala" by Pravin K. Shah, as presented by the JAINA Education Committee:

The text, "Dreams of Mother Trishala," details the fourteen auspicious dreams that Queen Trishala, the mother of Lord Mahavir, experienced on the midnight following his conception. These dreams are considered significant portents of her son's future greatness.

The fourteen dreams, and their interpretations as presented in the text, are:

Elephant: A large, white elephant with multiple tusks, symbolizing that her son will be a spiritual guide to save humanity from suffering, greed, and worldly attachments.
Bull: A bright, white bull with noble features, indicating that her son will become a spiritual teacher respected by sages, kings, and influential figures.
Lion: A magnificent lion, signifying that her son will possess immense strength, fearlessness, and the authority to rule over the entire world.
Goddess Laxmi: The Goddess of wealth and prosperity seated on Mount Himalaya, signifying that her son will attain worldly wealth, power, and prosperity.
Garland of Flowers: A celestial garland with a universal fragrance, signifying that her son's teachings will spread their fragrance throughout the universe.
Full Moon: A bright and glorious full moon, indicating that her son will have a physically imposing and universally pleasing presence.
Huge Disc of Sun: A radiant sun dispelling darkness, signifying that her son's teachings will eradicate anger, greed, ego, lust, and pride from people's lives.
Large Flag: A grand flag adorned with a white lion, signifying that her son will be a noble, great, and respected leader.
Silver Urn: A pure, bright silver urn filled with clear water, symbolizing that her son will be perfect and endowed with all virtues.
Lotus-Lake: A lake filled with thousands of blooming lotuses, representing that her son will help liberate beings entangled in the cycle of birth, death, and misery.
Milky-Sea: A turbulent sea with high waves and powerful currents, signifying that her son will navigate the "ocean of life" (birth, death, and misery) to achieve Moksha or Liberation.
Celestial Airplane: A magnificent airplane decorated with gems and celestial music, indicating that gods and goddesses will respect and follow his spiritual teachings.
Heap of Gems: A massive heap of precious gems reaching Mount Meru, symbolizing that her son will possess infinite virtues and wisdom.
Smokeless Fire: A brightly burning fire fueled by pure ghee and honey, indicating that her son's wisdom will surpass that of all other great individuals.

After these dreams, Queen Trishala shared them with King Siddhartha, who then consulted soothsayers. The soothsayers unanimously predicted that Queen Trishala would be blessed with a noble son who would command a vast spiritual realm, and she would become the "Universal Mother."

Following the predicted period, Queen Trishala gave birth to a baby boy named Vardhaman, meaning "ever-increasing." Upon his birth, Indra, the King of Heaven, descended with other deities, hypnotized the city and the royal couple, took the infant Vardhaman to Mount Meru for a sacred bath, and proclaimed peace and harmony through the recitation of "Bruhat Shanti."

The text concludes by stating that Prince Vardhaman, after his renunciation and attainment of self-knowledge, became Lord Mahavir, the twenty-fourth and final Tirthankara of the Jain religion.