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Jain Society of Greater Detroit PRATISHTHA MAHOTSAV JUNE 27-JULY 6 1998
SIDDHASEN DEEVAKARSURI
(Vikram Shatak 1)
Stories Of The Sadhu
e great pandit Siddhasen, having lost in a debate to the elderly Vadidevsuri, became the latter's disciple and soon became an acharya. The suriji was granted the gifts of turning any object into gold and the use of “Sainyasarshan" mantra. Using these gifts he helped the king Devpal defeat his oppo
nents, and was therefore given the title of “Deevakar". For daring to suggest that Jain scriptures should be written in Sanskrit instead of Prakrit which was what was in use, his guru asked him to spend twelve years in cognito as penance. The suriji, in disguise, spent the night sleeping in a Shiv mandir. Unable to wake him in the morning, the pujari, complained to King Vikram. Soldiers were sent to flog him but as the lashes fell on him there was not a single mark on the suri but miraculously they appeared instead on the queen.
Amazed, the king went to meet the suriji who then wrote “Kalyan Mandir". It was with the effect of this that from the shivling there emerged a statue of Parshvanathji. The sangh asked the suriji for forgiveness and the king gave him his royal palanquin as gift. Upon hearing that the suriji had started using a palanquin, forbidden to sahdus, Vadidevsuri, his guru lifted the palanquin on his own shoulders and admonished him to become a virtuous sadhu. The suriji asked for forgiveness from the guru. "Kalyan Mandir" stotra and Avanti Parshvanath tirth are still in existence today.
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