WATCH AND AWAKEN YOURSELF

Bhagwaan Parasvnath is our 23rd Tirthankar (born 877 B.C., nirvana 777 B.C.). He attained nirvana atop Parasvnath Hill (present-day Jharkhand in India), the highest peak south of the Himalayas. His symbolic charan-kamal are set in stone at the spot where he is said to have attained nirvana.

Shri Parasvnath Prabhu attained kevalgyaan (absolute knowledge, omniscience) through intense meditation 84 days after becoming an ascetic. Acharya Sushil Kumarji (“Guruji”), a self-realized yogi, often described Bhagwaan Parasvnath as the supreme yogi, the ideal for all aspiring yogis. The Siddhachalam Parasvnath Temple, the only Jinalaya (temple in honor of a Tirthankar) dedicated solely to Him outside of India, is a living testimony to Guruji’s profound devotion towards Him. In that Temple, one can find the song Guruji composed and sang in the glory of Bhagwaan Parasvnath.

Bhagwaan Parasvnath taught the four-fold path to self-purification comprising of the vows of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing) and aparigraha (non-attachment to possessions). Two hundred fifty years later, Bhagwaan Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankar (born 599 B.C., nirvana 527 B.C.) of this avasarpini (cycle of time) independently realized the truths last propounded by Bhagwaan Parasvnath. He added the fifth vow of bramhacharya (celibacy) which during Bhagwaan Parasvnath’s time was considered a part of aparigraha. Besides Jains, Bhagawaan Parasvnath is venerated by various tribes of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in India.

The pratishtha of all Tonks of Shikharji at Siddhachalam, including that of Bhagwaan Parasvnath, will be performed on August 11-12, 2012.