$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 304

F01 Story - Tirthankars
02 - Bhagwän Pärshvanath
During that period of distress, Pärshvanath had been deep in meditation. He had not been aware of Meghamäli's attacks or Dharanendra's protection. Pärshvanath had developed perfect equanimity, so he did not have any special affection for Dharanendra for the protection he had extended or hatred for Meghamäli for the distress he had caused. He continued developing a higher purity of consciousness after this, ultimately attaining omniscience on the 84th day of his renunciation (the 4th day of the dark half of the month of Falgun, usually falling in April). After attaining omniscience, Pärshvanath began preaching the true religion. He reinstated the Tirtha or religious four-fold order and became the 23rd Tirthankar of the Jain religion. He had ten Ganadhars, or principal disciples, and eventually his parents and his wife, Prabhävati, renounced the world and became his disciples as well. Thereafter, he lived long enough to spread the true religion before attaining nirvana at the age of 100 at Sametshikhar, a hill in the state of Bihar and a famous Jain pilgrimage site. Moral: Pärshva-kumär demonstrated a very keen sense of nonviolence and detachment from all material possessions and from relationships with people. These are the qualities essential for attaining self-realization. He showed us that one should be detached and impartial regardless of whether a person is our well-wisher or enemy. We may not always know and understand the reason why a person behaves in a strange way towards us; it may be because of our karmas from a past life. Highlights:
Parshvanath's parents: Ashvasen and Vämädevi Wife: Prabhävati Mendicant performing fire ritual: Kamath (reborn as Meghamäli, god of rain) Snake found in log; reborn as Dharanendra, god/king of Nag kumärs
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015