Jain Center of America NY 2005 06 Pratishtha

Author(s): Jain Center of America NY
Publisher: USA Jain Center America NY

Page 115

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MURTIS OF DERASAR
Compiled by: Ankit Mehta
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The newly designed Jain Center of America features many brand new Jain murtis and one very familiar one. In 1981 the building housing the first Center was fully established by the arrival of a twenty-one inch marble statue of Mahavir Swami featuring his characteristic lion insignia and fair complexion. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, this murti returns to its home fully refinished and accompanied by dozens of newly constructed statues to consecrate a new building and to inspire a new generation of Jains in New York City.
Mahavirswami: Mahavirswami was the twenty-fourth tirthankar of our time and has been the central figure and guiding light of this derasar since 1981.
He was born in 599 BC as Prince Vardhaman to a powerful King in what is now known as Bihar, India. He grew up with wealth, health, power and fame, but renounced it all to search for his soul.
At the tender age of thirty he relinquished his life of privilege to pursue a life of non-violence and peace, and he achieved it all by the age of forty-two when he attained keval gnan. He gave the last thirty years of his life to bring truth to his students, followers and enemies alike. At the age of seventy-two, he attained nirvana and freed his soul from the bonds of life.
As the last tirthankar of our time, Mahavir Swami remains our inspiration. He is largely credited with having revived the philosophy of Jainism, and it is thanks to his students that the words, practices, culture and science of Jainism survives to this day. His teachings and leadership continue to guide us in today's turbulent times. His message of ahimsa is the foundation of this derasar and our lives.
Neminath: Neminath was twenty-second tirthankar of our time.
Prince Nemikumar was born to the historic Yadav family in what is now Meerat, India. The family patriarch was King Jarasangha, the reigning monarch of Magadh, and his entire family settled along the banks of the Yamuna River in cities of Mathura, Shauripur and Dwarka.
Nemikumar was born into a tumultuous time in history of the world, a time of war and decadence. The Mahabharata was in full force and the Prince, also a cousin of Krishna, matured in the midst of it all. Despite the times Nemikumar was far from attached to his circumstances. His natural spirituality came to bear at the time of his wedding when he inadvertently learned of plans to slaughter a large number of animals to cater his wedding.
Nemikumar was thoroughly disgusted. He canceled the wedding, relinquished his claim to his property and set out to Mount Girnar in search of his soul. Just fifty-six days later, Nemikumar attained keval gnan. His former bride to be, Rajul, and his brother, Rathanemi, soon followed his example and accepted him as their spiritual guide and teacher. Soon after, all three and countless others who joined Neminath, attained nirvana.
Sambhavnath: Sambhavnath was the third tirthankar of our time. He was born to King Jitari and Queen Senadevi of Shravasti in modern day Uttar Pradesh, India. Prior to his conception kingdom was in the grips of a terrible famine, but this was soon drastically changed when the Queen became pregnant with the soul of the third tirthankar. Crops became plentiful and the local agricultural economy enjoyed an explosive, and entirely unexpected, revival. For the role that he played in bringing about that which seemed impossible, the couple's newborn was named Sambhav.
Years later he gave up the throne that he inherited and chose the path of spirituality in search of his soul. His soul was set free on Mount Sametsikhar, in the modern Indian state of Bihar.
Shantinath: Shantinath was the sixteenth tirthankar of our time.
He was born to Vishvasen and Achiradevi, the reigning King and Queen of Hastinapur in present day Meerut, India. The occasion of his birth brought uncharacteristic prosperity and calm to the kingdom, and so he is remembered as Shantinath. As the young Prince grew he conquered most of what is now South Asia, and was named Chakravarti. Despite his vast influence he renounced his empire and took diksha, eventually attaining keval gnan.
He dedicated the final decades of his life to teaching the truth about souls and observed an austere regimen of meditation, fasting, and concentration. He attained nirvana with hundreds of his followers on the historic Sametsikhar Mountain in Bihar, India.
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