Shree Parshwanath Bhagwan: Birth to Nirvana of the Twenty-third Tirthankara

We have previously read about the past lives of Lord Parshwanath. During Meghmali’s upsarga (externally induced afflictions/sufferings), Lord Parshwanath’s pure state of Vitaraagata was clearly visible. He did not feel even the slightest attachment toward His supreme helpers, Dharanendra Dev and Padmavati Devi, nor the slightest hatred toward Meghmali, the one who caused Him immense suffering. During the upsarga, Parshwanath Bhagwan remained in a state of bliss, no external pain or affliction could touch Him. Now, let us read in detail about His life story from birth to Nirvana.

Shree Parshwanath Bhagwan – Birth and Rule

In the Bharat Kshetra, King Ashvasen and Queen Vama Devi ruled in the city of Varanasi. When the Soul of Chakravarti Suvarnabahu was to descend from the celestial world into the womb of Vama Devi, she got 14 dreams indicating that she would give birth to a Tirthankara!

When the Lord was in the womb, Vama Devi saw a snake, due to which the Lord was named Parshwa. He slowly grew up into a handsome prince.

On the other end, King Prasenjeet ruled over the city of Kushasthal. He had an exceptionally beautiful and intelligent daughter named Prabhavati. The king was extremely worried about how he would find a suitable husband for his beautiful daughter.

One day, while Prabhavati was with her friends in a garden, some beautiful damsels were describing Prince Parshwa Kumar that He is extremely good looking, detached, is going to be a Tirthankara, and He alone is a suitable match for Prabhavati. Listening to this, feelings arose in the heart of Prabhavati for Parshwa Kumar and she decided that she would marry Parshwa Kumar only. Her friends conveyed this to King Prasenjeet.

Meanwhile, King Yavanraj of Kalinga learnt about Prabhavati’s beauty and he decided to marry her. King Yavanraj challenged King Prasenjeet that he would wage a war against him and kidnap Prabhavati. To save Prabhavati, King Prasenjeet sought help from King Ashvasen. King Ashvasen promised to protect him and started his preparations for the war.

However, Prince Parshwa Kumar requested His father to allow him instead to fight the war. Seeing the huge army of Parshwa Kumar, King Yavanraj got extremely nervous. He went to Parshwa Kumar to negotiate. Seeing the calm face and loving eyes of Parshwa Kumar, Yavanraj’s vengeance, lust and ego, all dissolved. He fell into the feet of Parshwa Kumar and asked for forgiveness. Receiving the natural forgiveness of Parshwa Kumar, Yavanraj returned back home.

Gnanis and Tirthankaras can see the other person as innocent only. They do not have to give forgiveness; they have natural forgiveness all the time.

Despite not having any desire for marriage, upon great insistence from King Prasenjeet and His own parents, Parshwa Kumar got married to Prabhavati. Thereafter, King Ashvasen handed over the kingdom’s responsibilities to Parshwa Kumar and took Diksha.

Dharnendra Dev and Padmavati Devi

Once, Parshwa Kumar was out to take an overview of the town. There, He saw crowds and crowds of people going to Taapas performing a Panchaagni havan in the havankund. Taapas (Kamath’s reincarnation) was born at a Brahmin’s place; as soon as he was born, his mother, father and siblings all had died. Seeing the prosperity and affluence of rich and prosperous people, in order to attain the same, he had taken up severe penances.

True penance is the inner penance that happens by cutting the passions (Kashays). When someone insults, abuses, or any kind of difficulties and calamities come, in there, anger, pride, deceit, and greed do not happen, we see the other person as totally innocent, and we are grateful to him—that’s when true penance is said to have happened.

Parshwa Kumar saw that Taapas was doing severe penance with utter ignorance. He explained to Taapas that he should leave this ignorant penance, as there is tremendous violence involved in it but Taapas did not agree to it.

Tirthankaras, owing to their past births’ Sadhana, have right from birth, three types of knowledge namely, Shrut Gnan, Mati Gnan and Avdhi Gnan (clairvoyance). Parshwa Kumar, with His clairvoyance, saw a couple of snakes trapped in a log burning in the havankund. Both the snakes were experiencing a lot of suffocation due to the burning wood. Parshwa Kumar ordered His soldiers to cautiously break open the burning log. Parshwa Kumar gave them water to drink and chanted the Navkaar Mantra. The snakes felt very fortunate for being able to hear the most pious Navkaar Mantra, and that too during the last few minutes before their death, from the mouth of Lord Parshwanath himself!

While doing the darshan of Lord with their eyes, and with their ears listening to the Navkaar Mantra from Lord’s mouth, the snakes died. Being in higher consciousness at the time of the death, both the snakes attained the celestial life form. The male snake became Dharnendra Dev and the female snake became Padmavati Devi.

The viewers present there very much disgraced Kamath’s such penance. Kamath’s vengeance towards Parshwa Kumar erupted, and being very furious, he walked out from there. However, a lot of hatred towards the prince got created inside him. He did severe penance to attain the celestial life form. However, since it was ignorant penance, Kamath attained a lower celestial life form; He became a heavenly being named Meghmali.

Shree Parshwanath Bhagwan - Diksha

As Lord Parshwanath’s bhogaavli karma finished, the celestial Gods requested Him to take Diksha for the benefit of the people. To attain Moksha and help other people attain it, Lord Parshwanath left behind all His comforts, luxuries, kingdom, and family, took Diksha and left for the forest. As He took Diksha, He attained the fourth type of spiritual knowledge, Manahparyav Gnan.

Upon taking Diksha, in every Tirthankara Bhagwan, Manahparyav Gnan manifests automatically. Manahparyav Gnan means one is able to precisely read (see) other’s minds as is. When one can read (see) what’s going on in one’s own mind as is, one is introvert; only then one can read (see) what’s going on in other’s mind. When one is seeing whatever is going on in one’s own mind, one is being free from the mind and the mind becomes clean as a mirror.

Meghmali’s Upsarga

One day, Parshwa Prabhu was standing in the posture of penance (Kausag) and was engrossed in deep meditation of the Soul. That’s when Meghmali Dev (Kamath’s reincarnation), while passing by from there, saw the Lord, and with clairvoyance, he came to know about his revenge with Him. Meghmali’s vengeance popped out and to take revenge, he inflicted a lot of harassments onto the Lord.

Firstly, to scare the Lord, he sent huge elephants, wolves, and tigers. However, the Lord was completely still in His meditation of the Soul; nothing touched Him. Then, Meghmali threw heavy stones at the Lord and showered torrential rains upon Him. The rains were so heavy that the water rose upto Parshwa Prabhu’s ankles, knees and in just few moments, it reached the tip of His nose! However, He was unperturbed. He continued with His meditation.

Meanwhile, Dharnendra Dev and Padmavati Devi, whom Prince Parshwa Kumar, in their previous birth, had saved from the log of wood burning in Kamath’s Panchaagni havan, got to know through their clairvoyance that the Lord was being harassed. They had a lot of love and affection towards Lord Parshwanath. Dharnendra Dev and Padmavati Devi, with a lightning speed, rushed to the Lord.

Padmavati Devi turned into a lotus and lifted the Lord up from beneath. Dharnendra Dev, the serpent-king, provided shelter by making an umbrella of his own seven hoods over the head of the Lord. Getting the protection from both the top as well as bottom, the Lord remain unaffected by the Kamath’s harassment.

Dharnendra Dev then lovingly and compassionately scolded Meghmali and made him understand, “How big sinner you are! Lord Parshwanath is a Tirthankara’s Soul with whose mere darshan one is able to attain Keval Gnan and go to Moksha and one is able to be free from the vicious cycle of birth and death. Despite being with Him for nine births, you could not understand His compassion! Whenever you killed the Lord, He has never spoilt His intent towards you. Right from the first birth, you see where all you have done mistakes. You are so unfortunate that in your bid to take revenge, so many times you went to hell yet you never turned back. Now beware! Or else, there is no way you can save yourself.”

These compassionate words touched the heart of Meghmali and he was overwhelmed with the feelings of repentance and remorse. He fell into the feet of Parshwanath Bhagwan with tears rolling down his cheeks and begged for the Lord’s mercy to help wash away his anger, feeling of vengeance and all his bad deeds. Meghmali begged for pardon and asked for the Lord’s shelter.

When Dharnendra Dev and Padmavati Devi gave protection to the Lord and on the other end, Meghmali gave tremendous harassment to Him, yet to the Lord, neither an iota of hatred or abhorrence happened towards Meghmali nor an iota of attachment or liking happened towards Dharnendra Dev and Padmavati Devi. The Lord was completely free from attachment and hatred, and simultaneously, one got to see the Lord’s state of absolute detachment.

Shree Parshwanath Bhagwan – Deshna & Nirvana

Lord Parshwanath lived a worldly life of up to 30 years of age. After taking Diksha, 84 days later, He attained Keval Gnan. After Keval Gnan, for 70 years, He gave Deshna to thousands of people and kindled in them an aspiration for Moksha. Thousands of people attained the right understanding from Him. Many adopted the Shravak Dharma; many took the Shravika Dharma; many became Sadhus and Sadhvis; many became Keval Gnanis and went to Moksha in the same birth. Lord Parshwanath attained Nirvana.