The Fourteen Dreams That Announced a Tirthankara

Queen Trishala was the wife of King Siddhartha of Kundagrama, near what is now Vaishali in Bihar. Something rare happened to her during her pregnancy. The Kalpa Sutra records that she saw fourteen auspicious dreams, one after another. Learned interpreters read each one as a sign, all pointing toward the same conclusion. The child she carried was destined for greatness. He would become either a great king who ruled the whole world, or a Tirthankara, a supreme spiritual teacher who guides others toward liberation.

King Siddhartha heard of these dreams, and called star-readers to explain them properly. Their reading backed up what the dreams themselves seemed to promise. This child would grow into someone whose life would shape the world deeply, whichever path he walked in the end.