Meditating Jain deity protected by cobra hood
Bhagwan Parshvanatha, Story of Bhagwan Parshvanatha, How Bhagwan Parshvanatha originated, where Bhagwan Parshvanatha was born?
The holy religion of Jainism preaches about living a simple and a pious life and without causing any harm to all the living beings in the earth. Jainism is mainly based on the teachings of the 24 Tirthankaras.
The 24 Tirthankaras have taken birth in order to get rid of the sins of the people, and to make them to attain NIRVANA by following their teachings. By living a life as per their teachings, we can attain nirvana and can get liberated from the chain of life cycle. All of them taught the basic thing of avoiding luxuries and comforts in the life and to give respect and not to commit harmful activities over others. In a nutshell, they are telling us to live a sin free life, by following their principles and teachings.
Parsavanatha was the 23rd of 24 tirthaṅkaras of Jainism. Parsavanatha is the earliest Jain monk who is acknowledged as a supreme person. It is believed that he would have lived during the 8th century BC, founding a vast Jain Community which was subsequently got revived and reformed by Lord Mahavira.
According to ancient legend, he was born to King Aśvasena and Queen Vāmādevī of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the Indian city of Varanasi. After renouncing worldly life, he founded an ascetic community. He was the spiritual successor of the 22nd Tirthankar Neminatha. He is popularly seen as a supreme propagator and reviver of Jainism.
Pārśvanātha is said to have attained moksha on Mount Sammeda (Madhuban, Jharkhand) popular as Parasnath hill in the Ganges basin, an important Jaina pilgrimage site. He was born on the tenth day of the dark half of the Hindu month of Pausha to King Ashwasena and Queen Vamadevi of Varanasi. He is said to have been born 84,000 years after his predecessor, Neminatha. While Pārśvanātha was in his mother’s womb, gods performed the garbha-kalyana (enlivened the fetus). His mother dreamt 14 auspicious dreams, an indicator in Jain tradition that a tirthankar was about to be born. According to the Jaina texts, the thrones of the Indras shook when he was born and the Indras came down to earth to celebrate his janma-kalyanaka (his auspicious birth).
Parshvanatha temple is a 10th-century Digambara Jain temple at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is now dedicated to Parshvanatha, although it was probably built as an Adinatha shrine during the Chandela period. Despite the temple’s Jain affiliation, its exterior walls feature Vaishnavaite themes.
The temple is believed to have been constructed by a prominent Jain family between 950 and 970 CE, during the reign of the Chandela king Dhanga.
“JAI BHAGVAN PARSAVANATHA ARUGANATHA DEVATHIDEVA SARANAM, SARANAM”
COMPILED BY
R. HARISHANKAR