Chandraprabhu Swami Stories: Exploring the Past and Last Births

Recognized by the moon symbol, Shree Chandraprabhu swami is the eighth Tirthankara of the current time cycle. He was the son of Queen Lakshmana and King Mahasen of Chandranan Nagri. Vijay Yaksh is His Shasan Dev and Bhrikruti Devi is His Shasan Devi. His symbol is moon.

Let’s now go through the life stories of the Lord’s past two births, prior to His birth as Tirthankara. Finally, we will go through His final birth story.

The Third Last Birth as King Padmaraja and the Second Last Birth in the Heaven

Chandraprabhu bhagwan, in His third-last birth, was a King named Padma in Ratnasanchaya Nagri in Mangalavati Vijay region in Ghatki Khand. Being a religious soul, He ruled over his kingdom with utter detachment. During his reign, people in his kingdom experienced lots of happiness and peace.

During this time, he experienced utmost dispassion for worldly life and took Diksha. By sincerely adhering to severe penances, abstinences and meditations, he bound the Tirthankara-naam-gotra-karma.

However, before being born as a Tirthankara, he reincarnated as a celestial being in the Vaijyant Vimaan heaven.

The Last Birth as a Tirthankara Bhagwan Chandraprabhu Swami

After spending a long lifespan in the Vaijyant Anuttar heaven, the soul of King Padma descended into the womb of Queen Lakshmana, the wife of King Mahasen who ruled in Chandrapuri Nagriin Bharat Kshetra.

Owing to the moon-like complexion at the time of birth, the son was named Chandraprabhu. Right from the time in the womb, the Tirthankara Lord had three types of spiritual knowledge namely, Mati Gnan, Shrut Gnan and Avadhi Gnan. He grew young amidst luxuries. The prince then got married and was coronated as a King. He ruled the kingdom for a very long time.

Later, upon the request of celestial beings, Bhagwan Chandraprabhu took Diksha, and consequently, attained the fourth Gyan, the Manahparyay Gnan. During the next three months, He finished all His karma and attained Keval-Gnan (Absolute Knowledge).

The celestial beings then arranged the Samavasaran, the divine pavilion wherein the Lord could be seen from all four directions. In Samvasaran, He gave Deshna to crores of people. Through this Deshna, He directed people towards liberation (moksha).

Deshna on Ashuchi Bhavana

The significance of the Deshna of a Tirthankara Bhagwan is that it reverses one’s worldly tendencies or inclinations of the chit (the inner faculty of knowledge and vision) and directs them towards liberation.

Our inner tendencies are in a constant search for happiness. It believes that there is happiness in eating, drinking and having money, sex, wife, children, cars and bungalows. According to this belief, one engrosses the mind, speech and body in obtaining these sources of happiness.

However, all sources of worldly happiness are temporary! The worldly happiness, is thus, temporary. However, the Soul or the Self inside each living being permanent. Worldly phases end, but the Soul does not come to an end.

When this life ends, one takes the next birth. Life after life, one is unable to find permanent happiness. If one finds permanent happiness even once, then one does not have to wander anywhere else. However, from where does one find permanent happiness? Owing to the societal influence right from the childhood, a person ends up entangling himself in temporary objects.

It is only when enormous high-quality meritorious karma unfolds that one realizes the fact that nothing is worthwhile in these temporary things; the real happiness is only and only in the Self, in the Soul. When this fact clicks within, the tendencies, instead of wandering outside, get redirected inwards towards the Soul!

Thereafter, the tendencies stay only in the Self forever. Even if they go out, one does not feel happiness in anything, as the permanent happiness of the Self is experienced; such is the transition! We can attain this happiness from the One who constantly dwells in the happiness of the Self!

When a Tirthankar gives Deshna, He makes people realize the true nature of this world – its transient nature! He makes them realize that there is no true happiness in this world; rather, there is absolute filth. When one realizes this truth, the illusory attachment ceases, the tendencies return inside and one then gets free from all the entanglements.   

Revealing the grimy composition of the body, Chandraprabhu Bhagwan gave beautiful Deshna on Ashuchi bhavna in His Samvasaran. He explained how there is nothing but only filth in this body. Upon peeling off the skin, there is nothing but blood, pus, bones and flesh. Skin is like a cloth-sheet that covers all of them. The moment the skin is removed, there is nothing but only filth and odour. If stomach is torn open, there is only filth of urine and stools.

So, upon realizing how it is inside, the illusory attachment or entrapment does not happen. Inside the human body, there is nothing but only diseases. Inside it, there are 3.5 crore pores; in each pore, there lies 1.75 diseases. However, until the disease manifests and stops us from functioning regularly, we do not realize the presence of diseases; we do not understand that this body is a factory of ashuchi (filth).

Therefore, one who has a firm resolution to follow celibacy should see post-mortem. Through it, it is easy to realize ashuchi when the first layer of skin is removed. Even if there are boils or leprosy spots, how ugly does the face look! The face that is so good-looking is not at all pleasant when the skin is removed; rather it takes a horrible look.

With this vision towards inside, this reality of ashuchi (filthiness) is recognized. Truly speaking, this is how it is inside! Seeing the post-mortem process, one develops such detachment that neither vision will taint, nor lust will trigger within.

Nirvana

Through the Deshna of Tirthankar Chandraprabhu Swami, lakhs of people realized this physical nature, and upon surrendering to God, took Diksha from the Lord, attained the Knowledge of the Self (Soul) and progressed on the path of ultimate liberation (Moksha). This included lakhs of Sadhus and Sadhvis (Saints) and Shravaks and Shravikas (householders).

In the Sangha of Chandraprabhu Bhagwan, there were 93 Gandhars, and lakhs of Sadhus and Sadhvis, Sharvak and Shravikas. Datta was his first Gandhar (chief disciple of the Tirthankara). Lord attained Nirvana from the Sammed Shikarji Mountain.

This is how He attained the eternal bliss of the Soul and now dwells in it forever!