Illustrated Tirthankar Charitra
Authentic Illustrated Biographies of the Twenty Four Tirthankars
Editor-in-Chief
Up-pravartak Shri Amar Muni
(Disciple of Uttar Bharatiya Pravartak Bhandari Shri
Padma Chandra Ji M.)
Editors
Srichand Surana ‘Saras’
Shri Surendra Bothara
Publisher : Padam Prakashan
Padam Dham
Narela Mandi, Delhi - 011 040
: Diwakar Prakashan
A-7, Awagarh House, M. G. Road
Agra - 282 002 Phone: (0562) 54328
First Edition : 2521 A. N. M.
Jyeshth 2052 V.
June 1995 AD
Price: General Edition : Rupees Two Hundred only; US $20
Library Edition : Rupees Three Hundred only; US $30
Illustrator : Sardar Purushottam Singh and
Sardar Harvinder Singh
Printing : Printed by Rajesh Surana for Diwakar
Prakashan at Nirmal Chitran, Agra and
Graphic Art Press, Mathura
Cover : Front- The symbols of the twenty-four
Tirthankars in Chronological order
Back- Scenes of five auspicious events
(Panch-Kalyanaks) in the life of a Tirthankar,
viz. the auspicious descent (the 14 dreams),
the auspicious birth, the auspicious renunci-
ation, and the auspicious liberation.
Border on Pages : Every page of this book has a multicolored
border. At the top and bottom are twenty-
four Symbols (Lanchhan) of the Tirthankars
and at the sides are the fourteen great dreams.
Forward
In
the theist world the loftiest entity is The God!
It
has thousands of names like Paramatma (the ultimate soul), Bhagavan (the most
glorious one), Siddha (the liberated), Buddha (the enlightened), The God, etc.
In
the Jain tradition there are two forms of this entity-
(1) The formless God or Siddha
(the liberated) and
(2) The God with a form or
Tirthankar / Arihant.
The
Tirthankar is a detached individual who is the ultimate altruist and benefactor
of not only mankind but every living being.
He propagates the religious path and preaches about it for their
benefit. His benevolent voice promotes
happiness, peace, and infinite bliss for every being.
In
the Jain tradition there have been twenty-four Tirthankars during the current
descending cycle of time, Bhagavan Rishabhdev being the first and Bhagavan
Mahavir being the last.
For
every Jain these Tirthankars are the entities to be worshipped and
revered. The ultimate goal of Jainism
is to tread the path shown by them and acquire infinite powers and virtues.
Out
of these twenty-four Tirthankars, many authors have written the biographies of
Bhagavan Rishabhdev and Bhagavan Mahavir.
But very little has been done about authentic and complete biographical
sketch of all the twenty-four Tirthankars.
And it is even harder to get this material.
When
we edited the Illustrated Kalpasutra we compiled brief life-sketches of
all Tirthankars. As it is already a
large volume we had to be selective in any further additions. It was at that time that we thought to
compile life-sketches of all the Tirthankars in an independent book; it would
be useful for all. The original plan
was to include these brief biographical sketches within a 50 page book, but as
the work progressed it became impossible to follow the plan. Although most of the inspiring incidents
from earlier incarnations of the Tirthankars had to be left, the book became
much larger than we originally thought of.
However, whatever has been included will hopefully prove to be
adequately useful, educative, interesting, and inspiring for our readers.
Scriptures
like Bhagavati Sutra, Acharanga, Jambudvipa Prajnapti, Samvayang
and others contain stray incidents from the lives of Tirthankars. Kalpasutra just lists all the Tirthankars
and their periods besides giving brief details about Rishabhdev, Parshvanath,
Arishtanemi, and Mahavir. It was
Acharya Bhadrabahu who first of all attempted to compile biographical sketches
of all Tirthankars in brief. Later
others worked on providing more detailed biographies in a variety of styles,
both interesting as well as informative.
Some of these later works are: Pravachansaroddhar,
Chauppanna Mahapuris Chariyam (Shilankacharya), Trishashtishalaka
Purush Charitra (Hemchandracharya), Adipurana (Acharya Jinasen), Uttarpurana
(Gunabhadra), Tiloyapannatti (Yativrishabhacharya), etc. Considerable material is available about the
lives of Tirthankars from various works in Prakrit, Sanskrit, and Apabhramsha
languages.
Shri
Ratan Lal Doshi has compiled and edited the biographies of Tirthankars, based
on Trishashtishakaka Purush Charitra, in Hindi in three volumes. Acharya Shri Hastimal ji M., a recognized
Jain historian himself, has compiled these biographies with authentic
references and his comments, in the first volume of the voluminous Jain
Dharma ka Maulik Itihas. It is an
unique effort.
In
this context other important reference works are Bhagavan Mahavir by
Upadhyaya Shri Kewal Muni ji and four research works on four Tirthankars by
Acharya Shri Devendra Muni ji.
With
the help of all these works we have selected and compiled this book; a brief
but attractive presentation.
A
useful and informative part of the book is its Appendix. All these dates are rarely available at one
place. Vitaraga Vandana has been
very useful in compiling the appendices.
I
am grateful to all those authors, editors, and publishers whose knowledge, hard
work, and experience has been conveniently available through their works listed
above.
Although
it is based on information available in ancient scriptures, this book has some
unique features:
1. The most important features of this book are the 52 multicolored
illustrations on incidents from the lives of Tirthankars made in attractive
style. Acharya Shri Vijay Yashodev Suri
had published a set of illustrations based on Bhagavan Mahavir’s life, it
became very popular. There have been
some other illustrated publications also, but this is the first attempt to
present a neat and organized compilation of text and illustrations.
2. The biographical sketches have been compiled after a study of
relevant literature from Digambar to Shvetambar traditions. Care has been taken to select only the
incidents that are useful and inspiring and without any sectarian controversy.
3. Common man looks for a variety of specific data about Tirthankars
and fails to find it in some commonly available book. This work attempts to fulfill that want with its functionally
compiled appendices.
4. The combination of Hindi and English versions makes it useful for
non-Hindi speaking readers, thus expanding its scope from Hindi speaking belt
to the whole world.
We
are sure, with these unique features, this Tirthankar Charitra will prove to be
very useful for all and sundry.
The
inspiration from U. B. Pravartak Gurudev Shri Bhandari Shri Padma Chandra ji
M., and the guidance from Up-pravartak Shri Amar Muni ji and the collection of
his articles and books have been vitally useful in compiling this work. I convey my heart felt regards to all
these. I hope that the readers will
like this work and that this will be frequently used as a reference book.
-Srichand
Surana ‘Saras’
Who is A Tirthankar?
In
this universe, which is without a beginning or an end, he soul continues to
experience sorrow and joy, traversing though numerous dimensions and forms
including those of gods, animals, human-beings, and hell-beings.
The
principle causes of these unending cycles of rebirth are the inherent attitudes
of attachment and aversion, and their consequences. The attitudes of attachment and aversion result in the bondage of
good and bad Karmas and as a consequence the soul continues its passage from one
dimension to the other.
Every
soul is a dormant source of infinite energies, uninterrupted light of knowledge
and unending joy and happiness.
Knowledge and happiness are the fundamental natural activities of the
soul. But the accumulated inertia of
ignorance and illusion acts as an impediment to its endeavor to activate these
inherent infinite energies. Even when
it launches its efforts, the dense accumulation of attitudes of attachment and
aversion does not allow these efforts to become successful. As such, the disciplining of these attitudes
of attachment and aversion becomes the prime need on this path of salvation.
When
its own true form is revealed on the soul it recognizes its inherent potential
and gradually starts the efforts to win over the attitudes of fondness,
attachment and aversion, as a result of its intense craving for salvation and
practices of equanimity, penance, and meditation, it becomes tireless or
Nirgranth (a term for Jain ascetic).
Continuing
its un-dogmatic practices or the Nirgranth attitude, a day comes when the soul
destroys all attachment and aversion and conquers fondness. As a result of this victory the soul attains
the status of Jina.
Jina
means the victorious one.
The
individual who has destroyed attachemtn and aversion; who is absolutely free of
fondness and ignorance; who has shed the four vitiating Karmas; namely illusory
(Mohaniya), knowledge obstructing (Jnanavaraniya), perception obstructing
(Darshanavaraniya), and power hindering (Antaraya); is known as vitarag (the
detached one), Jina (the victorious) and Sarvajna or Kewali (the omniscient).
Any
deserving soul may attain the status of Jina, omniscient, ultimate or pure soul
(Param-Atma), but not a Tirthankar.
This is because of the fact that it is only as the result of a specific
pious type of Karma that one may become Tirthankar.
The
lofty person, an omniscient Arihant, who defines, elaborates, and propagates
Ahimsa, Truth, Brahmacharya etc., establishes the four pronged (Sadhu, Sadhvi, Shravak
and Shravika) religious organization, and is endowed with unique powers is
known as the Tirthankar.
It
is a belief, mentioned in Jain scriptures, that it is only the soul who earns
the pious bond of the Tirthankar-nam-karma through a very high level of penance
and meditation, can attain the status of Tirthankar.
During
one descending cycle of time there may be innumerable omniscients but only
twenty four Tirthankars. Acharya Somdev
Suri has given an explanation about why there can only be this specific number
of Tirthankars-
“If
the number of things existing in nature is not a fixed figure why the number of
things like date, day constellations, stars, planets, oceans, mountains are
believed to be fixed? It means that although they are numerous their exact
number is fixed as per the law of nature.”
During one descending cycle of time only these twenty four Tirthankars
are the originators of religious founders of religious order and persons with
divine powers.
A
Tirthankar is not an incarnation of the God.
He is an ordinary soul that born as a human and attains the states of a
Tirthankar as a result of intense practices of penance, equanimity and
meditation. As such, the Tirthankar is
not defined as an Avatar (god-incarnate) but is the ultimate pure developed
state of the soul. Thus he may be
called as the God in human form.
In
the current descending cycle there have been twenty-four Tirthankars from
Bhagawan Rishabhdev to Bhagawan Mahavir.
There
names are as follows:
1. Rishabhdev 9. Suvidhinath 17. Kunthunath
2. Ajitnath 10. Sheetalnath 18. Arnath
3. Sambhavnath 11. Shreyansnath 19. Mallinath
4. Abhinandan 12. Vasupujya 20. Munisuvrat
5. Sumatinath 13. Vimalnath 21. Naminath
6. Padmaprabh 14. Anantnath 22. Arishtanemi
7. Suparshvanath 15. Dharmnath 23. Parshvanath
8. Chandraprabh 16. Shantinath 24. Mahavir
RISHABHDEV BHAGAVAN, THE FIRST TIRTHANKAR - 1
“He was the first king of this age and also the first ascetic. Who also was the first ford-maker
(Tirthankar), my salutations to hat Rishabh Swami.” -Acharya Hem Chandra
According
to the Jain measurement of cosmic time one cycle of time has two
divisions. These two divisions, ascending
time-cycle there is a gradual improvement in physical and mental conditions,
including physical strength, health, happiness and simplicity, of beings as
well as climatic and life supporting conditions. During the descending time-cycle there is a gradual deterioration
in these conditions.
The Age of the Twins
During
the first three Aras of the current descending cycle man was completely
dependent on nature for all his needs.
The wish-fulfilling trees provided all that he needed. Man was simple, peaceful and contented in
attitude. The environment was
absolutely unpolluted. Water was
tasteful, cold, and sweet. Even the
sand was sweet as sugar. The air was
healthy and exhilarating. The grains
and fruits were nutritious and filing.
A simple meal of little quantity of fruit and water lasted for
days. Filled stomach and satisfied
desires acted as antidote to irritation and reduced disputes and other sinful
activities. The whole animal kingdom
lived in harmony with the nature.
With
the passage of time gradual changes occurred and around the end of the third
Ara the yield from the Kalpa-vrikshas reduced.
The alround deterioration in conditions spelled the beginning of
quarrels and disputes. To guard against
these disputes and to live in peace and harmony, man formed groups and the
Kulkar system was evolved. A number of
people collected to form a ‘Kula’ (family) and the head of the group was called
‘Kulkar’. It was the duty of the
‘Kulkar’ to remove discord and establish order. Nabhiraja was the seventh and the last in the line of
Kulkars. His wife was Marudeva. This epoch of Kulkar system was known as the
epoch of twins (Yugalia). A human
couple used to give birth to a twin- one male and one female. This twin would become husband and wife on
reaching adulthood. The twins used to
lead a happy and contented life and died a natural death together.
Birth of Rishabhdev
It
was during the last part of the third Ara of the current descending cycle of
time that the great and pious soul that was to become Rishabhdev descended into
the womb of Marudeva on the fourth day of the dark half of the month of Ashadh
during the night.
In
the ancient Jain scriptures it is mentioned that during many previous births,
the soul that was to be Rishabhdev had done prolonged spiritual practices. As a result of high degree of purity of
thoughts and attitude as well as penance, meditation, charity and benevolent
deeds it had earned highly pious Karmas.
In
his incarnation as Dhanna, the caravan leader, he had offered alms and services
to ascetics and others. As doctor Jivanand
he had taken ample care of ailing masses as well as ascetics. As king Vajranabh he had supported poor and
desolate masses. After many years of
public services to ascetics and others.
As doctor Jivanand he had taken ample care of ailing masses as well as
ascetics. As king Vajranabh he had
supported poor and desolate masses.
After many years of public service Vajranabh renounced the world and
became an ascetic. As a result of
unprecedented spiritual practices, including religious studies, penance,
tolerance, and meditation, he earned Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. These pious deeds of earlier births resulted
in his taking birth as Rishabhdev.
When
this pious soul was conceived, mother Marudeva dreamt of fourteen auspicious
things. The first thing she saw in her
dream was that a beautiful and large white bull was entering her mouth. The other things she saw in her dream are as
follows:
2. A giant elephant having four tusks,
3. A lion,
4. Goddess Laxmi seated on a lotus,
5. A garland of flowers,
6. The full moon resplendent in the sky,
7. The scintillating sun,
8. A fluttering flag,
9. A golden urn,
10. A pond full of lotus flowers,
11. A sea of milk,
12. A space vehicle of gods,
13. A heap of gems,
14. Smokeless fire,
Nabhiraja
was an experienced and scholarly person.
When he heard about these dreams from Maudeva, he said, “Devi! You will
give birth to a highly endowed soul who will show the path of peace and
happiness to this world”
Birth Celebrations
On
the eighth day of the dark half of the month of Chaitra, around midnight,
healthy Marudeva gave birth to twins.
This pious birth influenced the surroundings. The sky became filled with a soothing glow, the wind became
fragrant and the whole atmosphere became impregnated with unprecedented joy that
was hard to describe.
From
all around came the fifty six goddesses of directions. They circumambulated the Tirthankar’s mother
and bowed before her. They also sang in
praise of the child that was to become Tirthankar and then proceeded to perform
post-birth cleaning rituals.
At
that instant the king of gods of the Saudharm dimension, Saudharmendra Shakra,
also came to know that the first Tirthankar has taken birth. He arrived with his large retinue of gods
and, bowed before the mother,
“O
great mother! I, Saudharmendra Shakra, bow before you and offer my
salutations.”
After
the salutations the mother was put to sleep.
Saudharmendra created five look alike bodies of himself. With one body he carefully lifted the baby
in his hands. With the second body he
took an umbrella in his hands and stationed the body behind the baby. With the third and fourth bodies he took
whisks and stationed these bodies on both sides of the baby. With the fifth body he lifted his divine
weapon, Vajra, and stationed himself ahead of the baby as a body guard. In this formation the king of gods airlifted
the baby to Meru mountain. There, all
gods, including their 64 kings with their consorts, ceremoniously performed the
post-birth anointing rituals. This
ceremony, popularly known as Janma-kalyanak, of a Tirthankar, is unparalleled
in this world.
Giving the Name
Next
morning Nabhiraja organized the birth celebrations. He invited his friends and relatives to a feast and announced,
“As there is a sign of a bull on the thigh of the new born, and Marudeva first
of all saw a bull in her great dreams, we name this child as ‘Rishabh Kumar’.”
His twin will be known as “Sumangala”.
The Beginning of the Ikshvaku Clan
When
Rishabh Kumar was one year old, Saudharmendra came to Kulkar Nabhi for
formalizing the family name. He carried
a sugar-cane in his hand Baby Rishabh was sitting in his fathers lap. When he saw the sugar-cane he eagerly
extended his tiny hands to grab it.
Saudharmendra gave the sugar-cane to the baby and seeing his affinity
for sugar-cane (Ikshu) he formally named the family as Ikshvaku.
Marriage
Rishabh
Kumar was married to a girl named Sunanda whose twin died in an accident. This was the beginning of the marriage
system. He was also married to his twin
Sumangala in a ceremony that was arranged by the gods.
Prince
Rishabh led a happy married life. In
due course Sumangala gave birth to Bharat, Brahmi and ninety eight other
sons. Sunanda gave birth to Bahubali
and Sundari.
Evolution of Crafts and Trades
Prince
Rishabh was a highly endowed, farsighted and industrious individual. He had a profound insight into the human
psychology. Looking at the needs the
times and society he evolved numerous arts, crafts and trades and taught them
to people with right aptitude and physical and mental capacities. To some he taught farming and to others the
trade of agricultural produce. He
invented the alphabets, language, and the numbers along with the tools for
writing. For self defense he evolved
martial arts and taught these to individuals with strong physique. He also established systems of social
security and penal codes. Pottery,
architecture, music, dance, and many other arts and crafts that enriched the
human society in the fields of knowledge, arts, entertainment, administration,
etc. are said to be his contributions.
Then
one day, on the request of the people’s representatives. Nabhiraja nominated Rishabh to become the
first king of this age. He arranged for
an elaborate coronation ceremony and handed over the reigns of the state to
Rishabh Kumar. The ceremony was
attended by all members of the family, large number of twins, and gods. The gods created a golden throne and
anointed Rishabh with the water collected from various pilgrimage centres. They attired him in divine dress and
ornaments and formally put the crown on his head. The twins humbly poured water on his feet from the cups made of
lotus leaves. Rishabh became the first
king of this era. The king of gods
ordered Kuber, the god of wealth, to construct a suitable city. This beautiful city was named Vinita; later
on it became popularly known as Ayodhya.
Preaching the Path of Renunciation
For
many years Rishabhdev continued to rule his people and open new frontiers of
knowledge. During the reign of his father
the population was organized into random groups only. Rishabhdev reorganized them according to their virtues,
activities and professions, and broadly divided the society into three groups. Trading community was known as Vaishya,
martial community was known as Kshtriya and all other people indulging in a
variety of services were known as Shudra.
Till his times the Brahman group was not formed.
After
a long span of time (6.3 million Purva) he started loosing interest in mundane
things and activities, and drifting toward detachment. He felt that he should transfer all his
responsibilities to his sons and proceed towards liberation through spiritual
practices. He also desired to reach the
state of omniscience and consequently show the path of disciplined life and
spiritual practices. His concept was
that indulgence in mundane things does give happiness. It gives only an illusion of happiness. True happiness is derived out of freedom
from mundane indulgences.
Following
the stream of his thoughts Rishabhdev divided the area of his rule between his
one hundred sons. Bharat was given the
state of Ayodhya and Bahubali that of Takshashila. Getting free of the responsibilities of the state, Rishabhdev
decided to take Diksha (the formal initiation into the ascetic way). At that time the gods from the edge of the
universe (the Lokantikdev) arrived and requested, “O savior of the human
race! Your desire to show the path of
renunciation to the mankind is admirable, kindly proceed soon to the task of
propagating Dharma.”
After
one year of meritorious charity, Rishabhdev sat in the palanquin named
Sudarshan and arrived in the Siddharth-vana garden. it was the eighth day of the dark half of the month of chaitra
when, under an Ashok tree, Rishabhdev abandoned all his apparels and
ornaments. He started pulling out his
long strands of hair. After four
fistfuls, when he was pulling out the fifth fistful of hair Indra said, “Sire!
This strand of hair on the crown of your head and hanging down over you
shoulders looks attractive. Kindly
leave it as it is.” Rishabhdev agreed.
Due to this bunch of hair he got he popular name-Keshariya ji (one with
hair). The king of gods collected the
hair pulled out by Rishabhdev in a divine cloth and immersed them in the divine
ocean of milk.
Following
the example of Rishabhdev many of his subordinate rulers as well as common
people got inspired to embrace the ascetic way of life. It is mentioned in scriptures that with
Rishabhdev four thousand others also took Diksha.
The First Charity
After
becoming an ascetic, Rishabhdev took the vow of total silence and started
wandering accompanied by other ascetics.
When, after his penance, he went out to beg for food, he did not get
anything to eat. The common people of
that age were ignorant about the practice of giving food as alms. They did not even appreciate the need to do
so. Whenever Rishabhdev approached
them, they offered him respect and valuable gifts as they would to a king. Rishabhdev would then proceed ahead without
accepting anything. As time passed the
accompanying ascetics conferred among themselves and decided to eat fruits and
vegetables naturally available. They
slowly drifted away from Rishabhdev and the true ascetic way of life. After one entire year of wandering from
place to place and doing harsh spiritual practices without touching any food or
water Rishabhdev decided to beg food once again. He came to Hastinapur town.
Bahubali’s
son, Somprabh, was the king of Hastinapur.
His son Shreyans Kumar saw a dream during night that Suvarnagiri, the
golden mountain had turned black and he had brought it back its golden color by
washing it with pitchers full of milk.
He narrated his dream to his father and friends, but no one could
interpret its significance.
Shreyans
Kumar was sitting in the balcony of his palace and brooding over the dream he
saw last night. All of a sudden he
heard the noise caused by happy masses who had seen Rishabhdev entering the
town. Thousands of citizens of
Hastinapur rushed toward Rishabhdev with gifts. Rishabhdev did not even look at these things and continued his
graceful walk in the direction of the palace.
When
Shreyans saw approaching Rishabhdev, he rushed to welcome his great
grandfather. After bowing down at the
great ascetics feet when Shreyans looked at Rishabhdev’s face he could not
shift his gaze. He went into a state of
meditative thoughts and suddenly he acquired Jati-smaran Jnan, the knowledge
that opens up memories of the past births.
In his past birth Shreyans was the charioteer of king Vajranabh (the
past incarnation of Rishabhdev). This
knowledge also made him aware of the duties of laity toward Shramans. He realized that Bhagavan Rishabhdev had
been wandering around without food or water due to the prevailing ignorance of
the people regarding ascetic norms.
With
due reverence he requested Rishabhdev, “Prabhu! I am honored by your
presence. I have just received 108
pitchers full of fresh sugar-cane juice that are pure and suitable for you in
all respects. Kindly accept the juice
and break your fast.” Rishabhdev
extended his cupped palms and Shreyans poured the sugar-cane juice from a
pitcher. Rishabhdev broke his fast and
the skies reverberated with the sound of divine drums and divine applaud, “Hail
the alms giving!” The gods also showered gems, flowers and perfumes.
This
was the beginning of the tradition of religious charity and alms giving. In memory of this incident, the third day of
the bright half of the month of Vaishakh is celebrated as Akshay Tritiya
festival. The Jains specifically
celebrate it as the breakfast day after the penance of Varshi Tap (one meal and
fast on alternate days for one year).
Omniscience and Nirvana
For
one thousand years Bhagavan Rishabhdev continued his harsh spiritual practices
completely ignoring his body and other mundane activities. On the eleventh day of the dark half of the
month of Phalgun he was meditating under a banyan tree in the Shakatmukh garden
outside Purimtal town, close to Ayodhya.
Around forenoon he transcended to the purest higher state of
meditation. The intensity of his
practice caused the shedding of the knowledge and perception obscuring Karmas
as well as the illusory Karmas. As a result,
he attained omniscience, the purest and enlightened state of soul. Rishabhdev became a Jina.
When
Rishabhdev attained omniscience the whole world was filled with a soothing glow
for a moment. Numerous gods descended
from heavens to pay their respects to the Tirthankar. They also created the Samavasaran, the divine pavilion. King Bharat also proceeded toward the divine
assembly riding an elephant and taking along his grandmother Marudeva. Apprehensive about the hardships of the
ascetic life of her son, Marudeva was relieved when she beheld the
scintillating face of Rishabhdev sitting in the divine assembly surrounded by
happy and dazzling gods. The vision of
her son perched on the spiritual pinnacle triggered the flow of spontaneous joy
in the heart of Marudeva. This mundane
joy slowly turned into the ultimate bliss and she acquired omniscience. Coincidentally, at the same moment she
completed her age and became liberated soul (Siddha). Bhagawan Rishabhdev made the announcement Marudeva had become a
Siddha.
In
his first discourse Rishabhdev detailed the trilogy of right conduct. Knowing about the significance of life as a
human being and importance of a dutiful life, thousands of people including
Rishabhsen, the eldest son of Emperor Bharat, and five thousands of people
including Rishabhsen, the eldest son of Emperor Bharat, and five thousand other
members of royal family embraced the acetic way of life. Thousand of other persons accepted the
Shravak Dharm (the religious way for laity).
As he founded the four pronged religious ford at the beginning of the
present era, Bhagavan Rishabhdev became popularly known as Adinath, the first
Tirthankar.
The
first disciple of Bhagavan Rishabhdev was Rishabhsen. He became the first chief disciple. He was also known as Pundarik.
Liberation
For
a long time Bhagavan Rishabhdev continued to propagate his religion having the
five great vows as its central theme.
When he realized that all his remaining Karmas are approaching their end
he proceeded to the Ashtapad mountain.
On the thirteenth day of the dark half of the month of Magh, a little
before noon time, Rishabhdev, along with ten thousand other ascetics, was
observing a six day fast without water.
He was sitting in the meditation in the Paryanka pose. When the moon entered the Abhijit lunar
mansion he got nirvana and got liberated from all sorrows.
The
king of gods, Saudharmendra, Emperor Bharat, numerous gods and men gathered and
celebrated the auspicious event of Bhagavan Rishabhdev’s Nirvana.
AJITANATH BHAGAVAN - 2
The soul that became Bhagavan Ajitnath, in its earlier incarnation, was the great king Vimalvahan of Susima city in Mahavideh area. He led a pious life in spite of the available princely grandeur. At an appropriate time, he became an ascetic under Arindam Suri. Meditating about the omniscient and liberated souls and indulging in harsh penance, he purified his soul to a level where he could earn the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. Completing his age, he reincarnated as a god in the Viaya-anuttar-dimension.
After
completing his age in the dimension of gods, he descended into the womb of
queen Vijaya Devi, wife of king Jitshaturu of Vinita town. Queen vijaya Devi saw the same fourteen
dreams. This was a queer coincidence. When the augers were consulted they informed
that Vijaya Devi will give birth to a Tirthankar and Vaijayanti to a
Chakravarti (monarch of six continents).
During
the period of the queen’s pregnancy, the influence of king Jitshatru enhanced
to an extant that even the enemy kingdoms sought and negotiated friendly
treaties with him. it became a common
practice to say, “King Jitshatru is invincible (Ajit).”
The
queen gave birth to a son on the eighth day of the bright half of the month of
Magh. Inspired by the popular lore, the
king named the new born as the Ajit.
The same night vaijayanti also gave birth to a son who was named
Sagar. Then both the princes came of
age they were married. Time passed with
the fusion of happiness.
When
king Jitshatru became old and wanted to devote the last part his life to
spiritual pursuit, he called his younger brother and asked him to take over the
throne. Sumitra had no desire for the
kingdom, he too wanted to become an ascetic.
Both the princes were called and offered the kingdom. Ajit Kumar was a naturally detached person
since childhood, and so he too declined.
At last prince Sagar ascended the throne.
Ajit
Kumar became an ascetic in his youth and went into remote and dense forests for
his meditation and penance. His
personality and the intensity of his lofty practices cast a pacifying influence
all around. Natural enemies in the
animal kingdom, like lion and cow, wolf and deer, snake and mongoose used to
come and sit around him peacefully.
After
a twelve year period of deep meditation and other spiritual practices attained
omniscience on the eleventh day of the bright half of the month of Paush. The gods created the divine pavilion and
Bhagawan Ajitnath gave his eloquent and magnetic discourses. Thousands of people accepted the path of
renunciation.
King
Sagar, during this period, conquered the six continents and became
Chakravarti. King Meghvahan and
Vidyadhar Bhim, the ruler of the island of Rakshasas (demons), were the
illustrious contemporaries of Emperor Sagar.
Once they went to a discourse of Bhagavan Ajitnath. There, Vidyadhar Bhim was drawn towards
spiritual life. He became so detached
that he gave his kingdom including the famous cities of Lanka and Patal Lanka
to king Meghvahan. He also gave all his
knowledge and miraculous powers to Meghvahan.
Besides this he gave a divine necklace of nine large and shining
beads. Meghvahan was the first king of
the Rakshas clan in which the famous king Ravana was born.
Death of Sagar’s Sixty Thousand Sons
Emperor
Sagar had thousands of queens and sixty thousand sons. Eldest among them was Janhu Kumar. Once all the princes went for an
outing. When they arrived at the base
of Astapad hills, they dug up large ditches and canals. In their youthful abandon they flooded these
canals with the water of river Ganges.
This flash flood inundated the houses and villages of the lower gods
known as Nag Kumars. The king of these
gods, Jwalanprbh came and tried to stop them in vain. The unruly princes were intoxicated with the regal power. At last Jwalanprabh lost his temper and
turned all the sixty thousand princes to ashes.
This
sudden death of all his sons was a traumatic experience for Emperor Sagar. He handed over the empire to his eldest
grandson, Bhagirath, and took Diksha from Bhagavan Ajitnath.
When
his last moments were approaching, Bhagavan Ajitnath went Sammetshikhar. With one thousand other ascetics, he
commenced his final meditation. He
attained Nirvana on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra.
SAMBHAVNATH BHAGAVAN - 3
A
long time after the Nirvana of Bhagavan Ajitnath, the city of Kshempuri in the
Airavat area of Mahavideh was ruled by king Vipulvahan. He was a soft hearted and compassionate
ruler who loved and cared for his subjects.
Once when there was a devastating draught and the population was
deprived even of a few drops of water, the king opened his grain yards for the
public, his kitchen for the monks and ascetics and his treasury for the import
of food grains. He instructed the
caretaker of his personal kitchen that the doors of his kitchen should be open
to all and sundry. All guests should be
given priority over himself. Whatever
little is left should be served to him.
If nothing is left he would be contented with the pleasure of serving
his guests. During the drought there
were many occasions when the king remained unfed and thirsty.
As
a result of this sublime feeling of compassion, Vipulvahan acquired unique
purity of soul and earned the Trithankr-nam-and-gotra-karma. Although, after the drought normalcy
returned, the torture of the living world by the nature left a mark on
Vipulvahan’s psyche. One day while he
was standing on the roof top he witnessed dense rain clouds being scattered by
wind. A feeling of intense detachment
grew in him. He handed over his kingdom
to his son and took Diksha from Svayamprabh Suri. After completing his age he reincarnated in the Anat dimension of
gods.
From
the Anat dimension, the being that was Vipulvahan descended into the womb of
queen Sena Devi, wife of king Jitari of Shravasti. While this being was still in the mother’s womb there were
sufficient rains and abundant crop. One
day when the king and queen were happily watching the lush green vegetation all
around, from their roof top, the king said, “My dear! This time even the waste-land
is filled with grain crop. It seems
that all this that is impossible, has been made possible (Sambhav) due to the
auspicious influence of the pious soul you carry in your womb. We shall call our son- Sambhav.”
On
the fourteenth day of the bright half of the month of Margshrish, the queen gave
birth to a healthy son and he was ceremoniously named Sambhav Kumar. The little prince grew up in royal comfort
but he hardly ever took more than cursory interest in the luxurious life style. At the appropriate age Sambhav Kumar was
married and coronated. After a long and
peaceful reign he became an ascetic on the fifteenth day of the bright half of
the month of Margshrish. After a
fourteen year period of spiritual practices, he attained omniscience. Arhat Sambhavnath gave his first discourse
on the ephemeral nature of the mundane existence. For a long period he worked for the spread of religion. He got Nirvana on the fifth day of the
bright half of the month of Chaitra.
ABHINANDAN BHAGAVAN - 4
Mahabal
was the king of Ratnasanchay/Mangalavati town in Purvavideh. Although a king, he was a simple and humble
person. When people praised him, he
thought that why people praised him even in absence of any virtues? When someone
criticized him he would humbly say, “You are my true well-wisher and a friend
who helps my progress by pointing out my faults.” when a feeling of detachment grew in him, he found and opportune
moment and took Diksha from Vimal Suri.
Due to his simplicity and humility he became a very popular and ideal
Sharman in his group. It is said that
as a result of this rare disposition and deep mediational practices he purified
his soul to an extant that he acquired the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. Completing his age, he reincarnated as a god
in the Vijay dimension.
When
the being that was Mahaval left the Vijay dimension, he descended into the womb
of queen Siddharth, wife of king Samvar of Ayodhya. As a result of the simplicity of attitude inherited from the
earlier birth, the soul in the womb of the queen had a soothing and pacifying
influence on the outer world. The
people of the kingdom were suddenly filled with the feelings of humility and
fraternity. Irrespective of age, caste,
creed and status every one started greeting and honoring others. Politeness and polished manners became the
thing in vogue. The augurs and other
scholars confirmed taht as the aura of a pious soul influences all the people
around, the effusion of politeness was caused by the soul in the womb.
The
queen gave birth to the future Tirthankar on the second day of the bright half
of the month of Magh. As the influence
of this soul was evident in the overt mutual greetings, the king named his son
as Abhinandan (greeting).
As
time passed Abhinandan lead normal mundane life with least indulgence. He ascended the throne when his father
became an ascetic. After a long and
peaceful reign, he became an ascetic and indulged in rigorous penance and lofty
spiritual practices. He attained
omniscience on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month of Paush. For a long period Bhagavan Abhinandan moved
around to show the right path to millions of beings. On the eighth day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakah he
attained Nirvana at Sammetshikhar.
SUMATINATH BHAGAVAN - 5
Vijayasen
was the king of Shankhpur town in the Purva Mahavideh area. He had a son named Purushasimha. While he had gone for a walk in the garden
one day, the prince listened to the discourse of Acharya Vinayanandan Dev. He became detached and a turned
ascetic. As a result of vigorous
penance and higher spiritual practices, he earned the
Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma.
Completing his age, he reincarnated as a god in the Vijayant dimension.
From
Vijayant dimension, the soul that was Purushasimha descended into the womb of
queen Mangalavati/Sumangala, wife of king Megh of Ayodhya. The news of the queen being pregnant made
the atmosphere of Ayodyha live with happiness and joy.
One
day two women and a little boy came to the kings court to seek justice. One of the women put forth her case before
the king, “Sire! We both are wives of a rich seafaring merchant. Our husband has left for his heavenly abode
leaving behind we two, a son, and heaps of wealth. The child truly belongs to me but this second wife of the
merchant claims to be her. This is
nothing but a conspiracy to grab the wealth that would be inherited by the
child. Save me, my Lord! I seek my son
and justice from you.”
The
story narrated by the other woman was also the same. Shouting charges and counter charges at each other, both the
women claimed the possession of the child.
The child could not indicate his true mother as he had got equal
affection from both. As the boy was
born in some remote place, there was no eye witness available.
The
king was in a quandary. Even after a
lot of probing and weighing the evidence he could not solve the problem. Any ill conceived solution could end up in
doing injustice to the innocent. The
king and his ministers all could end up in doing injustice to the
innocent. The king and his ministers
all were in a fix. The night was
approaching and the king was getting late for his dinner. He adjourned the case and went into the
palace for dinner.
The
queen asked, “Today you are late for the dinner, your highness. What is the matter? Was there some complex
problem?”
The
king narrated the case of the two women and their child and said, “No one is
able to say firmly, which one of the women is the real mother of the child and
which one is the pretender?”
The
queen said with a smile, “Your Highness, let a woman solve the problems of
women. Send the case to me and allow me
to resolve the issue.”
Next
morning the queen herself came to the kings court. Both the women and their son were produced before the queen. There was no apparent indication in the
behavior and disposition of the two women that could give any indication of the
genuineness of one. All of a sudden,
the queen got an inspiration and she said, “This enigma has no simple solution. There is one object and two claimants. The object, being a person, cannot be split
into two. Under the circumstances the
only solution I can think of is to keep the matter pending. I carry a pious soul in my womb. Let us wait till it is born and is ready to
resolve this issue. during the period
of waiting, let the son and the property of the deceased be taken into the
custody of the state. Till then the
claimants may wait.”
Hearing
all of this one of the claimants readily accepted the arrangement but the other
started weeping. In a choked voice she
said, “No! Please don’t separate me from my son. I will not be able to survive without my son for such a long
period, I withdraw my claim. Let the
other woman take the child as well as all the property of my husband. My only submission is that I may be allowed
at least meet the child. I will be
contented with that only.”
The
queen recognized the pain and concern of a mother’s heart. She gave her judgment, “The woman who
immediately agreed to my proposal is the impostor. Her attachment is not to the child but to the wealth. She may be imprisoned. The one who wants to surrender her claim is
the real mother. The child and the
wealth may be given to her with all honor.”
Everyone
present in the assembly was dumbstruck by this witty method of judgment. The impostor pleaded guilty and submitted to
be pardoned.
On
the eighth day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakh, the queen gave
birth to a son. A wave of peace and
goodwill swept the whole world.
Appreciating the fact that the marked improvement in wisdom and sense of
judgment during the pregnancy was the influence of the presence of the
illustrious and pious soul, king Megh named the new born as-Sumati (wisdom or
right thinking).
When
he became a young man, Sumati Kumar was married, and in due course inherited
the kingdom. King Megh became an
ascetic. After a long and peaceful
reign Sumatinath, too, became an ascetic.
He attained omniscience under a Priyangu tree on the eleventh day of the
bright half of the month of Chaitra. He
established the four pronged religious ford and became a Tirthankar. On the ninth day of the bright half of the
month of Chaitra he got Nirvana at Sammetshikhar.
PADMAPRABH BHAGAVAN - 6
Maharaj
Aparajit ruled over Susima town in the Purvavideh area. He was a simple and religious person. He got detached after listening to the
discourse of an Arhat and took Diksha from Acharya Pihitashrava. As a result of long spiritual practices he
earned Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma.
Completing his age, he reincarnated as a god in the Graiveyak dimension.
From
the dimension of gods, the being that was Aparajit descended into the womb of
queen Susima, wife of the king Kaushambi.
One day queen Susima had a desire to sleep on a bed made up of lotus
flowers. As this was a desire of a
pregnant mother, the gods made arrangements for its fulfillment. On the twelfth day of the dark half of the
month of Kartik the queen gave birth to a son.
The new born had a soft pink glow like lotus flowers. The king named him as Padmaprabh.
In
due course the prince became young and was married. When his father left for spiritual practices, Padmaprabh ascended
the throne. After a long and successful
reign, when through his three fold knowledge he knew that the right moment has
come, he became an ascetic. After six
months of spiritual practices, on the full moon day of the month of Chaitra he
attained omniscience under a banyan tree.
Propagating right religion for a long time, Bhagavan Padmaprabh wandered
around and at last arrived at Sammetshikhar. He got Nirvana on the eleventh day of the dark half of the month
of Margshirsh.
SUPARSHVANATH BHAGAVAN - 7
The
being that was to be Suparshvanath had done harsh penance and deep spiritual
practices in his earlier birth as king Nandisen of Kshetrapuri. He then reincarnated as a god in the sixth
Graveyak dimension.
From
the dimension of gods this soul descended into the womb of queen Prithvi Devi,
wife of king Pratishthasen of Varanasi.
During her pregnancy the queen did not lose her normal shapely figure,
as generally happens. As her flanks
still remained attractive, the child, when born, was named Suparshva.
When
Suparshva became young he was married and later ascended the throne. He ably conducted the affairs of he state
and looked after the well being of his people.
One day while he was enjoying the nature sitting at the roof top, he
observed the falling of leaves and wilting of flowers. Suddenly he became aware of the transient
nature of life. This gave a rising to
the feeling of detachment and desire for spiritual upliftment. He gave his kingdom to his son and became an
ascetic. After nine months of
disciplined practices he became an omniscient on the sixth day of the dark half
of the month of Phalgun. For a long
period he worked for the spread of right knowledge. He got liberated on the seventh day of the bright half of he
month of Palgun at Sammetshikhar.
CHANDRAPRABH BHAGAVAN - 8
In
his birth as king Padma of Mangalavati town of Dhatkikhand, the being that was
to become Bhagavan Chandraprabh earned Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. Spending a life time as a god in Anuttar
Vijay dimension he descended into the womb of queen Lakshmana, wife of king
Mahasen of Chandranana town.
During
her pregnancy, one day the queen was looking at the splendors and glowing
full-moon. All of a sudden she had a
strange desire to drink the glowing streak of moon light. The king cleverly managed to satisfy this
strange desire of a pregnant mother.
On
the thirteenth day of the dark half of the month of Paush the queen gave birth
to a healthy son who was fair and glowing like the moon. He was named Chandraprabh (glow of the
moon).
Chandraprabh
was apathetic towards the mundane pleasures and princely grandeur. After he ascended the throne his reign was
short lived. He became an ascetic in
the prime of his youth and just after three months of acute spiritual practices
he became an omniscient. For a
considerably long period he continued to enlighten the people and propagate the
true religion. When his end approached
he went to Sammetshikhar and after a month of long fast and meditation got
liberated.
SUVIDHINATH BHAGAVAN - 9
In
the tradition started by Bhagavan Rishabhdev the ninth Tirthankar
re-established the four pronged religious ford was Bhagavan Suvidhinath During
his earlier incarnation as emperor Mahapadma of Pushkalvati Vijay purified his
soul to he extant of earning Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. He took birth in the Vijayant dimension of
gods and from there he descended into the womb of queen Rama Devi, wife of king
Sugriva of Kakandi town.
During
the period of pregnancy queen Rama developed a strange capacity to develop
processes for doing even the most difficult of tasks. Everyone got astonished at her skill. When the child was born the king accordingly named him as Suvidhi
(correct procedure). During the
teething period of the child the mother got a craving for playing with
flowers. As such, he was also popularly
known as Pushpadant (flower-tooth).
Suvidhinath
had a normal princely life, but with detachment. He became an ascetic at an early age and attained omniscience
only after four months rigorous spiritual practices. He got Nirvana at Sammetshikhar on the ninth day of the dark half
of the month of Kartik.
Extinction of the Religious Ford
The
tradition of the four pronged religious ford started by Bhagavan Rishabhdev
gradually became extinct after the Nirvana of Bhagavan Suvidhinath. After his death, first the ascetic
organization disintegrated and a time came when there was no ascetic left. The religious discourses two were given by
common citizens or Shravaks. Slowly the
influence of wealth became overpowering and people started forgetting the
principals of five vows including Ahimsa and truthfulness. The discipline of spiritual principles gave
way to ritualistic exchanges of wealth and total indiscipline.
SHEETALNATH BHAGAVAN - 10
The
being that was to be Bhagavan Sheetalnath, in his previous but one birth was
the king of Susima town in the Pushkarvar island. His name was Padmottar. When his son reached adulthood the religious king gave his kingdom
to the son and took Diksha from Tristadha Muni. Vigorous spiritual practices and worship of the pious states as
mentioned in the scriptures resulted in his acquiring the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. Completing his age he reincarnated as the
king of the Pranat dimension of gods.
One
day due to some strange ailment, king Dridhrath had high fever and acute
burning sensation in his body. He did
not get any relief even after applying a variety of ointments. Out of anxiety and to comfort the king, the
queen put her palm on his body. This
mere touch of the queen removed the burning sensation and a feeling of soothing
relief swept his body. After this
incident the king decided to name the new born as Sheetal (cool/calm).
Sheetalnath
was born on the twelfth day of the dark half of the month Magh. When he grew older he married at the request
of his parents. At proper time, king
Dridhrath coronated him and took Diksha.
After a long and successful reign Sheetalnath left his home and became
an ascetic. He attained omniscience
under a Peepal tree on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month of
Paush. After wandering and preaching
for a long time, he came to Sammetshikhar and attained Nirvana on the second
day of the dark half of the month of Vaishakh.
SHREYANSNATH BHAGAVAN - 11
In
his earlier incarnation, the being that was to become Bhagavan Shreyansnath
purified his soul as king Nalingulm, and went to the Mahashakra dimension of
gods. From there he descended and took
birth as Shreyans Kumar, the son of king Vishnuraja and queen Vishnu Devi of
Simhapur. Shreyans Kumar was born on
the twelfth day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapad.
He
had a normal princely life and ascended the throne when Vishnuraja
retired. After a long reign Shreyans
Kumar became a Shraman and within a short span of two months attained
omniscience on the fifteenth day of the dark half of the month of Magh under a
mango tree. He got Nirvana at
Sammetshikhar on the third day of the dark half of the month of Shravan.
It
was during his period that the being that was to be Bhagavan Mahavir reigned as
the first Vasudev Triprishta. After the
death of Triprishtha, his brother Baldev Achal became a disciple of Dharmghosh
who was a follower of Shreyansnath.
Achal got liberated in this birth.
VASUPUJYA BHAGAVAN -12
King
Padmottar ruled over Mangalavati town of Ardhapushkar island. He was a person devoted to spiritual
pursuits. In later part of his life he
took Diksha from Acharya Vajranabh.
Reducing the tarnish of Karma by penance and spiritual practices he
earned the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma and incarnated as a god in the Pranat
dimension.
Vasupujya
was the king of Champa town in the Bharat sub-continent. His queen was Jaya Devi. Besides being a great warrior King Vasupujya
was a compassionate and charitable person.
The queen too was benevolent and she inspired the king in his charitable
activities.
The
being that was Padmottar was born to queen Jaya Devi. It is said that when the queen was pregnant, the king of gods
came to convey his veneration to the future Tirthankar and his mother. As Indra is also known as Vasu, the new born
was named Vasupujya (venerated by Vasu).
As
Vasupujya grew, so grew his inherent detachment and apathy for mundane
affairs. He had no attraction for the
regal splendor and grandeur. When he
became young his parents wanted him to marry but he declined. He even conveyed that he had no intention of
ascending the throne. In spite of all
persuasions from his family members, he renounced the worldly life and became a
Shraman on the fifteenth day of he dark half of the month of Phalgun along with
six hundred other persons.
The
intensity of his spiritual practices was so deep that he became an omniscient
within one month. At that moment he was
practicing under a Patal tree in a garden outside Champa town. He established the four pronged religious
ford and preached for a long period.
The
second Vasudev, Dwiprishtaha, was his devotee.
He and his brother Baldev Shrivijay conquered Prativasudev Tark and
brought his oppressive rule to an end.
Shrivijay later joined the ascetic order of Bhagavan Vasupujya.
Bhagavan
Vasupujya got Nirvana in Champa town on the fourteenth day of the bright half
of the month of Ashadh.
VIMALNATH BHAGAVAN -13
King
Kritvarma and queen Shyanan Devi of Kampilpur were both spiritualists and
devotees of the Jina. The queen one day
saw fourteen auspicious things in her dream and the augurs announced that she will
give birth to a Tirthankar. It was the
pious soul that in its earlier birth was king Padmasen of Mahapuri town in
Datakikhand and had descended into the queens womb from the Mahardhik dimension
of gods.
During
her pregnancy the queen radiated a soothing glow. Her temperature also became congenial, kind, and generous. When the child was born the whole atmosphere
was also filled with a soothing glow.
Inspired by this spread of purity, the king named his new born son as
Vimal (pure/untarnished).
In
due course, prince Vimal Kumar became young, was married, and then ascended the
throne. After a long and successful
reign he became a Shraman along with one thousand other kings and princes on
the fourth day of the bright half of the month of Magh. After two years of spiritual practices he
attained omniscience and established the religious ford. Merak Prativasudev, Svayambhu Vasudev, and
Bhadra Baldev were his contemporaries.
Bhagavan
Vimalnath got Nirvana at Sammetshikhar on the seventh day of the dark half of
the month of Ashadh.
ANANTNATH BHAGAVAN - 14
Queen
Suyasha Devi, wife of king Simhasen of Ayodhya, gave birth to an illustrious
son on the thirteenth day of the dark half of the month of Vaishakh. During her pregnancy the queen dreamt of a
very long strand of beads whose ends were not visible. The power and the glory of the king also
increased manifold during this period.
Accordingly the new born was named Anant (endless) Kumar.
After
leading a normal life, first as a price and then as the king he became an
ascetic along with one thousand other persons.
He became an omniscient on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the
month of Vaishakh under an Ashok tree.
In his first discourse he elaborated the subject of the
fundamentals-matter and life. He had
fifty chief disciples including the senior most named Yash. Purushottam Vasudev and Suprabh Baldev
reigned during his period of influence.
Bhagavan
Anantnath got Nirvana at Sammetshikhar on the fifth day of the bright half of
the month of Chaitra.
DHARMNATH BHAGAVAN - 15
The
being that was to become Bhagavan Dharmnath was king Dridhrath of Bhaddilpur in
Mahavideh area, in its earlier incarnation.
Although he had enormous wealth and a large kingdom, he led a detached
and pious life like a lotus in a pond.
Even great saints praised him as the embodiment of religion. During the later part of his life king
Dridhrath became an ascetic and as a result of his unblemished character and
sincere spiritual practices he earned the Tirthankar-nam-and-gotra-karma. Completing his age he reincarnated as a god
in the Vaijayant dimension.
This
being then descended into the womb of queen Suvrata, wife of king Bhanuraja of
Ratnapur. During the pregnancy the
queen devoted all her time in religious activities. Even the king and all other members of the family were inclined
to devote maximum time to various religious activities like charity,
righteousness, penances, studies etc.
On the third day of the bright half of the month of Magh a son was born
to the queen. Due to the religious
influence during the pregnancy period, the king gave him the name
Dharmnath. In due course he became
young, was married and then ascended the throne. He ruled successfully for a long period.
One
day he terminated all worldly attachments and became and ascetic. After two years of spiritual practices he
became omniscient. His first religious
discourse was attended by the fifth Vasudev Purush Simha and Sudarshan Baldev.
In
his first discourse he mainly dealt with the subject of form and ill effects of
passions. A large audience was
benefited by this eloquent discourse.
At last he went to Sammetshikhar and got Nirvana.
SHANTINATH BHAGAVAN - 16
The
account of the earlier incarnations of Bhagavan Shantinath indicates that his
being had taken the path of discipline that lead toward purity of soul many
births before. As a result of this
uplifting during his incarnations as Shrisen and Vajrayudh it was born as
Meghrath, the son of king Dhanrath of Pundarikini town in Purva Mahavideh area. At the proper time, king Dhanrath gave the
kingdom to Meghrat and became an ascetic.
Protection to a Refugee
Meghrath
was a benevolent and religious ruler.
He was compassionate and protected all living things. Being a Kshatriya and a warrior he had the
chivalry to sacrifice all he had in order to protect those in trouble.
One
day while observing the partial renunciation vow (Paushadh) he was about to
start a discourse on the religion propagated by the Tirthankars. All of a sudden a pigeon, trembling with
fear, fell in his lap and uttered in choking human voice, “Save me, O king!
Give me refuge, take me under your protection!” The compassionate king
comforted the bird and took it under his protection.
The
pigeon was followed by a falcon who too uttered in human language, “O king!
This pigeon is my food, leave it alone.” The king tried to explain, “It has
taken refuge with me, as such I am duty bound to protect it. I will give you any type of food you want;
why kill a living thing just to fill your stomach?”
The
falcon insisted, “If you will not leave it I may die of hunger. I am a carnivore; who will provide me
food. If I die, you will be responsible
and bear the sin.”
When
the falcon did not yield, Meghrath said at last, “O falcon! As long as I exist,
I will not allow you to die. I will cut
out flesh from my body equivalent to the weight of this little pigeon and give
it to you. You may satisfy your urge to
eat. But under no circumstance I shall
allow you to kill the bird that has taken refuge with me.”
The
falcon agreed to this proposal and the king put the pigeon in one pan of
balance and in the other started putting pieces of flesh cut out from his own
body. Surprisingly, the weight of the
pigeon continued to increase as the king went on putting his flesh in the
pan. Witnessing this pathetic scene,
the queens and the members of the assembly were moved to tears. They requested the king not to sacrifice his
precious life for a mere pigeon. The
falcon, was also requested relent but he too declined.
The
king continued to cut flesh from his body and put it in the pan of the
balance. At last, when the pieces of
flesh were not enough, the king got up from his seat and sat down in the pan.
Everyone present was dumb struck at this lofty compassion and chivalry
displayed by the king. Suddenly there
was a flesh of divine light and a divine personage appeared. The pigeon and the falcon disappeared. The god addressed the king, “Maharaj! The
king of gods was praising your compassion and courage, in his assembly. I could not contain myself and came around
to test you myself. All this was my
creation. You come out with flying
colors. You are worthy of the praise
bestowed on you by the King of gods.
Please forgive me.” The god
filled Meghrath’s wounds instantaneously and left for his abode.
Whenever
there is a talk about chivalry and compassion king Meghrath’s name is taken
with respect.
Unflinching Discipline
Disturbed by the miseries of the mundane life, one day king Meghrath was doing mediation. He transcended to a very high level of purity. Knowing about this uncommon purity and determination of Meghrath the king of gods bowed to him with reverence, “My salutations t