How intruiging and fascinating would it be if the picture above were to be your REALITY? Imagine sitting in front of a completely vitarag Tirthankar bhagwan who is under the sacred Ashoka tree, giving deshna to a vast range of life forms. The Dev/Devis have arranged a beautiful and grand entrance to the Samovasaran and you are surrounded by the richest stones, the purest speech, and the Lord himself. Want to know more about this enriching experience? Well, let's dig deeper!
What is a Samovasaran?
Samovasaran is a type of open assembly hall where Tirthankar bhagwans preach their deshna (religious sermons) to the different life forms that are present to listen. The term 'life forms' refers to the animals, human beings, and heavenly beings that are all seated at distinct levels of the Samovasaran, which is either a circular or square structure. The first (bottom) enclosure is made up of pure silver and is provided as a parking ground for the transportation of the human and heavenly beings. The second layer is significant for its spectacular gold arrangement and is meant for all types of animals (yes, you read correctly, animals!). The third (top) is crafted with a variety of precious stones such as diamonds and rubies, and this section is designated to the uppermost heavenly and human beings. Lastly, at the center of the Samovasaran lies the sacred Ashoka tree with the Tirthankar Lord beneath it. The Lord is always facing the East direction but the Dev/Devis project three images around each part of the circle/square such that all can see the Lord’s presence.
For example: As you can see, the Lord is seen on all sides of the Ashoka tree. The miracle about the Tirthankar's speech is that all living beings are able to understand the deshna in their own language! That is why animals can comprehend the speech: horses will hear their language, birds will hear their language, so on and so forth. What an amazing quality of the Lord!
Tradition Has It...
1) Tradition portrays that once a Tirthankar Lord attains the ultimate level of enlightenment or absolute knowledge, Keval Gnan, they have the ability to preach sermons multiple times a day in the language that suits each individual separately. At one point, this language was called, Ardha-Mägadhi Präkrit.
2) Living Tirthankars are known as Arihant Bhagwans (the ones who have annihilated all internal elements of anger, pride, deceit, and greed).
Simandhar Swami is an Arihant Bhagwan as he is currently present in Mahavideh World (name of a kshetra (world) where twenty Tirthankars currently exist and where souls can attain Moksha (liberation) by the mere darshan of them).
3) Past Tirthankars are known as Siddha Bhagwans (accomplished Lords who have achieved Moksha and are in a bodiless state).
Mahavir Bhagwan is a Siddha Bhagwan as he has attained liberation from cycles of birth and death and is completely free.
Let's take a look at examples of specific Tirthankar's Samovasarans!
Shantinath Bhagwan
16th Tirthankara
Father’s Name: King Visvasena
Mother’s Name: Achiradevi
Place of Birth: Capital City of Hastinapuri
In the Sahasramra jungle under the Nandi tree, Lord Shantinath was sitting in a total peaceful, pure, deep meditative state. The animals nearby, such as lions, deer, cows, peacocks, snakes, etc, were all sitting beside him. They all magically forgot their attacking nature and sat there amicably by the Lord himself. That was the power of Shantinath Bhagwan and thus, his name, meaning peace, was definitely not a misnomer. In that jungle, he attained the ultimate Keval Gnan, becoming omniscient. During his Samovasaran, devtas surround that Nandi tree where he gave his very first deshna. This first sermon was on the subject of disciplining the senses. It’s amazing how he was a Chakravarti Raja (king) and a Tirthankar Bhagwan, both in one lifetime. He achieved Moksha (Nirvana) on mount Sammet Shikharjii after completing a month long fast.
Mallinath Bhagwan
19th Tirthankara
Father’s Name: King Kumbh
Mother’s Name: Prabhavatidevi
Place of Birth: Mithilanagari
Mallinath Bhagwan was the only female Tirthankar, which is considered one of the ten most extra ordinary and popular surprises of this past Avsarpini kaal (name of past time cycle). She took diksha (renouncement) with 300 women and 1,000 men. Directly after taking diksha, she achieved manah paryaya gnan (knowledge that can read all phases of the mind)! On the very same day, during the afternoon/evening time, she attained Keval Gnan. She became what her name suggests, the “Perfect One.” Indra and the over Devtas constructed a beautiful Samovasran under a very tall and wide Chaitya tree. The Lord entered from the East direction and circled the tree saying, “Tirthay Namah” (establishing the Tirth or place of pilgrimage). Sitting in the East direction, Vyantar devtas then made three replicas of the Lord facing North, South, and West for the deshna. Mallinath Bhagwan obtained Moksha on mount Sammet Shikarji after completing a month long fast in Samadhi Mudra.
Neminath Bhagwan
22nd Tirthankara
Father’s Name: King Samudra Vijay
Mother’s Name: Shivadevi
Paternal Uncle: King Vasudev
Paternal Aunts: Rohini and Devki
Place of Birth: Suryapur
King Vasudev and Rohini’s son was Balram and King Vasudev and Devki’s son was Vasudev Shri Krishna. Thus, Lord Neminath and Shri Krishna were cousins. Neminath Bhagwan’s parents kept their son’s name Arishtanemi due to the fact that his mother had a dream of a celestial chakra made up of eight bright stones, hence Arishtanemi. Neminath spent fifty four days in deep spiritual practices. After taking diksha and travelling from one place to the next, Neminath came to the Revathgiri mountain, Girnar, and sat under the Ashoka tree. He went into a deep dhyan (meditation) and an extremely peaceful state of mind. During this time, he got Keval Gnan. Hundreds of kings, princes, and citizens, including Vasudev Shri Krishna himself, came to bow to Lord Neminath. Devtas built a Samovasaran under the Ashoka tree and there, he gave his first deshna. Neminath Bhagwan did one month of fasting and then achieved Nirvana (Moksha). This is the reason why Girnar has been considered to be a Siddhakshetra, a Land of Liberation.
Parshwanath Bhagwan
23rd Tirthankara
Father’s Name: King Ashwasen
Mother’s Name: Vamadevi
Place of Birth: Kashi, Varanasi
After taking diksha with 300 other men, Bhagwan Pashwanath spent 84 days abandoning world life before complete self-realization occurred. In Varanasi’s Ashrampad Park, Bhagwan was sitting under a Ghatki tree (Awala tree) in a deep and peaceful state when he attained Keval Gnan. Hundreds of Devtas came to construct his Samovasaran at that very moment. Then, he gave his first deshna for Shravaks and Shravikas (married people with household) and for all disciples on how one can progress in dharma during their daily life. Parshwanath Bhagwan attained Moksha on mount Sammet Shikar in padmasan posture (dhyan mudra).
Mahavir Bhagwan
24th Tirthankara
Father’s Name: King Siddhartha
Mother’s Name: Trishladevi
Place of Birth: Kshatriyakund
At the age of 30, the Lord took diksha and spent the next 12.5 years in dhyan (silence and meditation). He attained Keval Gnan on the banks of the river Rujuvalika, in the Godohasan posture. A divine Samovasaran was constructed for his sermons. Lord Mahavir left his body and attained Moksha at Pawapuri.
Current Living Tirthankar Shri Simandhar Swami
Father’s Name: King Shreyans
Mother’s Name: Satyaki Devi
World: Mahavideh Kshetra (Millions of miles away)
Place of Birth: Pundarikgiri
At a supremely auspicious moment, Mother Satyaki gave birth to a most handsome son, with unparallel beauty. At birth the child had come with three types of knowledge: matignan (knowledge through the medium of the senses and intellect), shrutagnan (knowledge meant to be heard) and avadhi gnan (visual or clairvoyance knowledge). His coat of arms, the symbol of recognition of a tirthankara was an ox. Lord Simandhar took diksha, renunciation from worldly life, on the day of Fagan Sudi Trij. At the moment of the diksha, He attained the fourth gnan called manahparyayagnan (knowledge that can read all phases of the mind). After a thousand years as a sadhu (ascetic), during which all his karmas exhausted, the Lord became fully omniscient and attained Keval Gnan, full enlightenment. This took place on Chaitra Sudi Tirteenth. Surrendered at the feet of the Lord’s universal work of salvation are eighty-four ganadhars, one million fully enlightened maharajas, one billion sadhus, one billion nuns, and nine hundred billion male and female married followers. Swami’s protecting celestial deities are Shri Chandrayan Yakshadev and Shri Panchanguli Yakshini Devi. As you can see below, all these beings are currently receiving Swami’s deshnas at his Samovasaran.
By Mere Darshan Of Shri Simandhar Swami Bhagwan, Moksha Can Be Attained!