Padmaprabha, also known as Padmaprabhu, was the sixth
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...
of the present age (''
Avsarpini
Jain cosmology is the description of the shape and functioning of the Universe (''loka'') and its constituents (such as living beings, matter, space, time etc.) according to Jainism. Jain cosmology considers the universe as an uncreated entity t ...
''). According to Jain beliefs, he became a
siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
- a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its
karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
.
In the Jain tradition, it is believed that Padmaprabha was born to King Shridhar and Queen Susimadevi in the
Ikshvaku dynasty
The Solar dynasty (IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98, 100-/1, 136 The dynasty is ...
at
Kausambi
Kosambi (Pali) or Kaushambi (Sanskrit) was an important city in ancient India. It was the capital of the Vatsa kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas. It was located on the Yamuna River about southwest of its confluence with the Ganges at ...
which is in today's
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Padmaprabha means ‘bright as a red lotus’ in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. It is said in Śvetāmbara sources that his mother had a fancy for a couch of red lotuses – padma – while he was in her womb.
His birth date was the twelfth day of the Kartik krishna month of the Indian calendar. On the eleventh day of the dark half of the month of ''
Margashirsh
Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa, (Hindi:
अगहन - agahana; मार्गशीर्ष - Mārgaśirṣa) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, ''Agrahāyaṇa'' is the ninth month of the year, beginning ...
'', Bhagwan Padmaprabha, along with other 308 saints was liberated and attained
moksha
''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...
on Sammet Shikhar (mountain).
Previous Births
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
Aparajit ruled over Susima town located in Dhatki realm in Purvavideh region in Vatsa country. He was a simple and religious person. He got detached after listening to the discourse of an
Arihant and took ''
diksha
Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–shishya tradition) ...
'' from ''
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
'' Pihitashrava. As a result of long spiritual practices, he earned ''
Tirthankar-nama-gotra-karma''. Completing his age, he reincarnated as a god in the Graiveyak realm.
Biography as per Jain traditions
From the realm of gods, the being that was Aparajit descended into the womb of queen Susima, wife of the king of Kaushambi. One day, queen Susima had a desire to sleep on a bed made up of lotus flowers. As this was a desire of a pregnant mother, the gods made arrangements for its fulfillment. On ''
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
'' ''
Dwadashi
Dwadashi (also Dvādaśi, Dwadasi or Dhuvadasi) (Sanskrit for Twelve) is the twelfth lunar day (Tithi) of the ''shukla'' (bright) or ''krishna'' (dark) fortnight, or Paksha, of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar.
Dwadashi is especially suit ...
'' (twelfth day of the waning fortnight) of the month of ''
Kartik'', the queen gave birth to a son. The new born had a soft pink glow like lotus flowers. The king named him as "''Padmaprabha''" (meaning one with lotus-like glow).
In due course, the prince became young and was married. When his father left for spiritual practices, Padmaprabh ascended the throne. After a long and successful reign, when through his threefold knowledge he knew that the right moment has come, he became an ascetic. After six months of spiritual practices, on the full moon day of the month of Chaitra he attained omniscience under a banyan tree. Propagating right religion for a long time, Bhagavan Padmaprabh wandered around and at last arrived at Sammetshikhar. He attained Nirvana on the eleventh day of the dark half of the month of Margshirsh.
Association
Padmaprabha is associated with Red Lotus emblem, Chatrabha tree, Manovega (Dig.) & Mangupta (Svet.)
Yaksha
The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...
and Syama Achyuta (Svet.)
Yakshi
''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...
.
Famous Temple
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Padampura Jain Temple,
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
*
Mahudi Jain Temple
Mahudi Jain Temple is situated in Mahudi town in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district, Gujarat. It is a pilgrimage centre of Jains and other communities visiting the temple of Jain deity, Ghantakarna Mahavir and the Padmaprabhu Jain Temple. It w ...
,
Gandhinagar
Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mu ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
Gallery
Padmaprabhu Tonk, Shikharji.jpg, Padmaprabhu Tonk, Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and ...
Footprint at Padmaprabhu Tonk, Shikharji.jpg, Footprint at Padmaprabhu Tonk, Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and ...
Padmaprabha Temple, Madhuban.jpg, Padmaprabha Temple, Madhuban
File:Padampura.jpg, Padampura
Mahudi_Temple.jpg, Padmaprabhu Jain Temple at Mahudi
Padmaprabh_Swami_Bhagwan.jpg, idol at Padmaprabhu Jain Temple at Mahudi
File:Padmaprabha Tirthankar.jpg, Padmaprabha Tirthankar at Chennai Museum
See also
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Padampura
Padampura or Bada Padampura is a Jain temple in Shivdaspura town in Jaipur district of Rajasthan. It is located at a distance of 35 km from Jaipur on Jaipur-Kota road.
About Padampura
Padampura temple is a grand white marble structure sp ...
*
God in Jainism
In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul. This quality, however, is subdued by the soul's association with karmic matter. All souls who have achieved the natural state of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge ('' keva ...
*
Arihant (Jainism)
''Arihant'' ( pka, arihant, italic=yes, sa, अरिहन्त, lit=conqueror) is a jiva (soul) who has conquered inner passions such as attachment, anger, pride and greed. Having destroyed four inimical karmas, they realize pure self. ...
*
Jainism and non-creationism
According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents—soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion—have always existed. Jainism does not support belief in a creator deity. All the constituents and actions are governed by univ ...
Notes
References
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Tirthankaras
Solar dynasty
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