Parshva

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Idol of Lord Parsva, Parasvanatha Jain Temple, Lodhruva, 10km north of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

Parshvanath (पार्श्वनाथ) or Parshvanatha (pārśvá-nātha, occasionally spelled Parshvanath or Parswanath) was the twenty-third Tirthankara (fordmaker) in Jainism. fl. ca. in the 9th Century BCE, traditionally (877 – 777 BCE).^[1][2][3] He is the earliest Jain leader generally accepted as a historical figure.^[4] He was a nobleman belonging to the Kshatriya caste.

He lived a life of a nobleman for 30 years and was married, before he renounced the world to become a monk. He meditated for 84 days before attaining Nirvana.^[5] According to the Jain tradition he attained nirvana 250 years before the nirvana of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankar.^[4] The chronology accepted by most Jains (Svetambaras) places Mahavira's death in 527 BCE.^[6] Parshva was the son of king Ashvasena and queen Vama of Varanasi. He renounced the world and became an ascetic when he was 30 years old.^[7] He achieved Nirvana atop Sammet Sikhar, now named Parshvanatha after him. He was called purisādāṇīya ("beloved of men"), a name which shows that he must have been a genial personality.^[8] He remains beloved among Jains.^[9]

There is a mention of four prominent leaders of the order of Lord Parshvanath:

1. Gandhara Shubhdatta (Shumbh)
2. Arya Haridatta
3. Acharya Samudra Suri
4. Arya Keshi Shraman

In addition, Parshvanath had ten Ganadhars, or disciples. He also has 108 names.

Arya Keshi Shraman is believed to have been born about 166 to 250 years after the death of Bhagawan Parshvanath. He met Ganadhara Gautam Swami, the main disciple of Lord Mahavira. Their discussion about the apparent differences between the teachings of the two Tirthankaras is recorded in Jain texts.

Parsvanatha is the 23rd tirthankara or ford-maker. He lived in Varanasi in India around 800 BCE and is the most popular object of Jain devotion. He is closely associated with compassion, although free from the world of rebirth, like all tirthankaras, and therefore unable to aid his devotees personally. ^[10]

[edit] Iconography

Image of Lord Parsva, Parasvanatha Jain Temple, at Mt. Shatrunjay, Gujarat, India

Lord Parshvanath is always represented with the hood of a naga shading his head. The Yaksha Dharanendra and the Yakshi Padmavati are often shown flanking him. There is a famous legend about the three of them as follows:

Parshvanath was walking one day when he saw an old man next to a fire. With a special type of knowledge called Avdhignan he could tell that a pair of snakes was in one of the logs in the fire. He quickly warned the man that he was burning the snakes, but instead of acting rapidly to save them, the man became angry at Parshvanath and denied the presence of the snakes. Parshavanath pulled out the right log and put it out, then gently split it, revealing two badly burned snakes. He recited the Navkar Mantra, a prayer, for them before they died. The two nagas reincarnated to become the two Yakshas, Dharanendra and Padmavati.^{[citation needed]}

In Jain canonical literature, Parshvanatha is represented in 'padmasana' (lotus) posture – both palms and feet, with auspicious lotus marks on them, placed upward. He has blue-black complexion – the color of the cosmos. The seven-hooded serpent Shesh – umbrella-like unfurling its hoods over the deity, represented elements of the earth and the ocean and has hence a similar body colour. Parshvanatha has been represented as wearing a gem-studded crown and other ornaments. He has a golden throne as a seat and a rich canopy above.

[edit] Famous Temples of Lord Parshvanath

Many temples are dedicated to Lord Parshvanath throughout India. There are at least 108 different images (names/ roop) by which he is honored. Some of the most famous ones are:

• Shri Jain temples of Khajuraho Parshavanath
• Shri Amijhara Parshavanath
• Shri Andheshwar Parshvanath near Banswara(Raj.)
• Shri Shankheshwar Parshvanath
• Shri Nakoda Parshvanath
• Shri Nageshwar Parshvanath
• Shri Kalikund Parshvanath
• Sammet Sikhar in Jharkand
• Humbaj Padmavati in Karnataka
• Shri Chintamani Parshvanath in Navsari
• Shri Avanti Parshvanath in Ujjain
• Shri Panchasara Parshvanath in Patan, Gujarat
• Shri Adinath Jain Temple, Santhu, Bagra (Marwar), Jalore, Rajasthan.
• Shri Munisuvrata-Nemi-Parsva Jinalaya, Santhu, Bagra (Marwar), Jalore, Rajasthan.
• Shri Uvasagarham Parshavnath Jianalaya, Nagpura, Rajnandgoan, Chhattisgarh.

[edit] Gallery

Lord Parshvanath	Lord Parshvanath in Malaviya Nagar, Jaipur	Lord Manmohan Parsvanath, Santhu.	Jina Parshvanatha, 12th century, Chakravarti Paloja V&A Museum no. 931(IS)
Shri Jiravala Parsvanath, Santhu

[edit] References

1. ^ Fisher, Mary Pat (1997). Living Religions: An Encyclopedia of the World's Faiths. London: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1860641482.  p. 115
2. ^ "Parshvanatha". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2007. http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9058576. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. 
3. ^ Bowker, John (2000). "Parsva". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t101.e5504. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Jarl Charpentier: The History of the Jains, in: The Cambridge History of India, vol. 1, Cambridge 1922, p. 153; A.M. Ghatage: Jainism, in: The Age of Imperial Unity, ed. R.C. Majumdar/A.D. Pusalker, Bombay 1951, p. 411-412; Shantaram Bhalchandra Deo: History of Jaina Monachism, Poona 1956, p. 59-60.
5. ^ Danielou, A (1971) L'Histoire de l'Inde Translated from French by Kenneth Hurry. pp.376 ISBN 0892819235
6. ^ Kristi L. Wiley: Historical Dictionary of Jainism, Lanham 2004, p. 134.
7. ^ Ghatage p. 411, Deo p. 60.
8. ^ Ghatage p. 411.
9. ^ Walther Schubring: Jinismus, in: Die Religionen Indiens, vol. 3, Stuttgart 1964, p. 220.
10. ^ Bowker, John. World Religions. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 1997.