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F01 Story Tirthankars
02 Bhagwän Pärshvanäth
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02 - Bhagwan Pärshvanäth
About 3000 years ago, King Ashvasen was ruling over the Kingdom of Väränasi, also known as Banäras, situated on the banks of the holy River Gangä. He was a benevolent and a popular ruler and lived peacefully with his queen, Vämädevi. On the 10th day of the dark half of the month of Märgashirsh (which usually falls in December), Queen Vämädevi gave birth to a son. In memory of observing a passing snake during her pregnancy, her newborn son was named Pärshva-kumär, because in the Sanskrit language 'Pärshva' means "nearby or in the vicinity".
Pärshva grew up in the midst of wealth and happiness and became a very attractive young man known for his courtesy, bravery, and valor. Many kings were eager to have their daughters marry him, and eventually Prince Pärshva-kumär was married to Prabhävati, a princess from a neighboring kingdom. The wedding ceremony was performed with much splendor and Pärshva-kumär enjoyed a blissful married life with Prabhävati.
In the vicinity, there lived a mendicant named Kamath. During his childhood he had lost his parents and was raised as an orphan. Disgusted with his miserable life he became a mendicant. As a mendicant, he had no material possessions and lived on the charity of others. He practiced severe penance and performed rituals called Panchägni (five fires). When he came to Väränasi to perform the ritual, many people were impressed by his penance and therefore worshipped him.
When Pärshva-kumär heard about Kamath's ritual, he realized the violence towards living beings involved in a fire. He came to Kamath and tried to dissuade him from lighting the sacrificial fire. Kamath denied that any life could be endangered by his ritual. However, by extra-sensory perception, Pärshva-kumär sensed a snake trapped inside one of the burning logs. He asked his men to remove the log and carefully chop it open. To everyone's surprise, a half-burnt snake came out of the burning piece of wood. The snake was so badly burnt that he could not be saved. Pärshva-kumär recited the Namaskär-mantra for the benefit of the dying snake. After death, the snake was reborn as Dharanendra, the king of gods of the Nag kumärs (gods or angels that look like snakes) in heaven.
At this event, instead of feeling remorse or pity for the snake, Kamath was very annoyed by the interference of Pärshva-kumär. Since he was powerless at that time, Kamath resolved to seek revenge. He began observing an even more severe penance and, at the end of his life, he was reborn in heaven as Meghamäli, the god of rain.
Observing the miseries that living beings had to experience in their worldly lives, Pärshva-kumär developed a high degree of detachment towards worldly possessions and relationships. At the age of 30, he renounced all his possessions and family and became a monk. Eventually, he was known as Pärshvanäth. He spent most of his time meditating in search of the ultimate truth.
Once, while Pärshvanäth was in meditation, Meghamäli saw him from heaven. He recalled how Pärshvakumar had interfered in his fire ritual in his earlier life and saw his chance for revenge. Using his supernatural powers, he brought forth all kinds of fierce animals such as elephants, lions, leopards, and snakes to attack monk Pärshvanäth. However, Pärshvanäth, immersed in deep meditation, remained peaceful and untouched. Meghamäli tried a new tactic and brought forth heavy rains. The rainwater touched the feet of Pärshvanäth and started accumulating. The water rose up to his knees, then to his waist, and in no time it reached his neck, but Pärshvanäth remained focused in meditation.
Dharanendra noticed the situation and realized that Pärshvanäth, his benefactor from his last life, was going to drown in the rising floodwater. Immediately, Dharanendra descended and created a lotus-form with his tail so that Pärshvanäth would float on the water (it also said that Dharanendra placed a quick growing lotus flower below Pärshvanäth's feet to make him float on the water). He then spread his fangs over the head and sides of Pärshvanäth in order to protect him from the pouring rain. Dharanendra then severely reprimanded Meghamäli for his wretched actions and asked him to stop the rain. All of Meghamäli's efforts to harass Pärshvanäth had been in vain. He was disappointed, but then realized that he was unnecessarily creating trouble for the merciful Lord. He withdrew all his supernatural powers and fell at Pärshvanäth's feet with a sense of deep remorse, sincerely begging the Lord to forgive him for his evil acts.
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
Page 303 of 398
