Answer

In Jain tradition, Digambar and Shvetambar both agree that Bhagwan Mahavir was born at Kundagrama to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. The main differences about his birth are:

• Shvetambar tradition says Queen Trishala saw 14 auspicious dreams.
• Digambar tradition says Queen Trishala saw 16 auspicious dreams.
• Shvetambar tradition accepts the story of the embryo transfer from Devananda’s womb to Trishala’s womb.
• Digambar tradition does not accept this embryo-transfer account in the same way.

Explanation

Both sects honor Bhagwan Mahavir as the 24th Tirthankar, but their traditional narrations differ in some details.

According to Shvetambar belief:

• Mahavir’s first conception was in the womb of a Brahmin woman, Devananda.
• Because a Tirthankar is traditionally born in a Kshatriya family, divine beings arranged the transfer of the embryo to Queen Trishala.
• Queen Trishala then saw 14 highly auspicious dreams.

According to Digambar belief:

• Mahavir was born directly to Queen Trishala.
• The story of embryo transfer is not accepted in the same form.
• Queen Trishala is said to have seen 16 auspicious dreams.

Spiritual Understanding

These differences are mainly in traditional narration, not in the central reverence for Bhagwan Mahavir.

What both traditions firmly accept is:

• Mahavir was a great Tirthankar.
• His birth was highly auspicious.
• His life was meant to guide souls toward liberation.

So, the spiritual message is greater than the difference in details: Mahavir’s birth was a divine event, full of signs of his future greatness.

Takeaway

Shvetambar and Digambar differ mainly on the number of dreams and the embryo-transfer story, but both revere Bhagwan Mahavir’s birth as sacred and highly auspicious.