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१२८
- तीर्थंकर पार्श्वनाथ
Parsvanatha is worshipped since the time of his attainment of Kevala Jnana, if not earlier. Acarya Samantabhadra in his Parsvanatha stotra (Svayambhu stotra) says that soon after the attainment of Kevala Jnana by Parsvanatha, those forest dwelling recluces realised their path of penance to be useless and looking at the glory of Parsvanatha, immediately approached him and took refuge at his feet.
" ah: #99TH CE4:1
14agi Tui fail" etc. . This piece of statement confirms that Bhagvan Parsvanatha was considered as a worshipful person by the people of his own time.
In Karakanda cariu of Muni Kanakumara, we find another earliest reference to the worship of Bhagvan Parsvanatha. Karakanda after his consecration as king at Champapura desires to conquer over all those kings who did not care to pay homage to him. Learning that the Chola, Chera and Pandya kings of the south refused to pay homage, he marched out with a vast army and reached Terapura and halted at its vicinity. There he learnt that on a near by hill, there was a cave temple of thousand pillars and on the top of the hill, there was a huge ant hill which was worshipped by an elephant. So out of curiosity, Karakanda mounted the hill, on the slopes of which he found the cave containing a Jina image. Climbing further to the top he saw the anthill, and in his very presence an elephant came which fetched waterland lotuses from the neighbouring lake and worshipped the anthill. Immediately Karakanda ordered the anthill to be excavated and as he had anticipated an image of Parsvanatha flashed forth from the anthill. The king conveyed it to the cave, where on the lion seat he noticed a patch. On enquiry from an old artisan of the town, he learnt that it was the mouth of a fountain of water. He caused the patch to be scraped off and there on water gushed
