ABSTRACT
While the two sects of the Jains (Digambara and Svetambara) have differing traditions regarding the life of Vardhamāna, they are in agreement on the most essential features. Vardhamāna was born to Siddhartha, chieftain of a warrior (ksatriya) clan, whose wife Trisala was the sister of the king of Vaisali. Vardhamāna’s conception was foretold to his mother in a series of dreams which are often described in Jain literature and represented artistically. About his youth virtually nothing is recorded, but probably he was trained in archery, horsemanship, and writing, as were other princes of his era. The two Jain sects disagree regarding one point concerning his adult life, the Svetambaras saying that Vardhamāna married and fathered one daughter, while the Digambaras say that he neither married nor had offspring.
