Shree ChandraPrabhu 8th Jain Tirthankar

Shree ChandraPrabhu

8th Jain Tirthankar

A Tirthankara is an individual being who has achieved a glorious state due to strict religious practices in all their previous incarnations. Due to their special Siddhas, they attain liberation and help other people to achieve salvation. They come to this world as ordinary man and get elevated to the level of a Tirthankara due to their Tirthankara Nam karma. They are recognized by various names including “Ford maker,” “Teaching God,” “Crossing God” etc. They act as a ford to cross the sea of life and death cycles. They help every individual attain Mukti from the samsara Sagara.

The Jain cosmic cycle has two phases – the growing period and the declining phase. This further gets divided into six different periods called Ara’s. Each phase has six Ara and makes a total of twelve Ara. The growing and the declining phase are called Utsarpini and Avsarpini respectively. Utsarpini the growth phase brings prosperity. It has six Ara from One to Six. Avsarpini phase declines all prospects. Six Ara of Avsarpini will follow Utsarpini, and this cycle continues.

Presently the fifth Ara of Avsarpini is followed. Between every half cycle, set of 24 Tirthankaras will be born to liberate humanity. After all six Ara in Avsarpini gets over; the first Ara of Ursarpini will begin. Roughly each Ara will last for 21000 years. Birth of set of 24 Tirthankaras is infinite.

Birth and Childhood of Chandraprabha

Chandraprabha was born as King Padma during his previous Janma. He ruled the Manglavati town of Dhatkikhand. His meticulous penances and asceticism of many numbers of births had given him a state of religious excitement, and he came to this world as a Tirthankara.

The soul of King Padma entered into the womb of Queen Sulakshana. In the town of Chandrapuri, the King Mahasen and Queen Sulakshana lived. The Queen got fourteen happy dreams when the soul descended her word. The dreams were

1. A huge bull is entering the Queen’s mouth.
2. A Lion
3. A flower garland
4. An elephant with four tusks
5. Lakshmi seated on the Lotus.
6. The bright Sun
7. The moon is glowing in the sky on a Poornima (full moon) night.
8. An ocean of milk
9. An urn made of gold
10. A fluttering Flag
11. A celestial vehicle
12. A pond full of lotus flowers
13. A bundle of gem stones
14. A burning fire carrying no smoke

All these dreams confirmed the birth of a Tirthankara. The entire kingdom was celebrating this moment. Joy and happiness were embracing every place.

One day the Queen was glowing like a full moon. She was very proud of it and asked the king that she wished to drink the lustrous strip of moonlight. The king wisely fulfilled her desire. It is believed that the desire of a pregnant lady should not go unfulfilled.

On the thirteenth day of dark half of the month per the Hindu calendar, the Queen delivered a boy baby. The Queen was lying down on the bed with a blue bed spread, and the child glowed like a full moon on the blue background. Looking at this, the king decided to call the baby as Chandraprabha. He grew up as a soft spoken, humble, and a brave boy. He grew as a prince and married Surdutta. Then he married many princesses. The king decided to move to a jungle and perform religious penances for his liberation. He handed over the country to Chandraprabha.

Chandraprabha as a King ruled the country very maturely. All his subjects liked him and followed his instructions. There was peace all over the kingdom.

Chandraprabha – Ascetic Life

Chandraprabh ruled ingeniously. One day he was sitting on his balcony with deep thoughts about birth and death. He heard someone talking to him. He concentrated on that. It was Lokantik Dev who spoke to him about asceticism. That speech influenced him. But he could not see anyone there. He started deeply meditating in search of finding questions wandering in his mind. He saw his previous incarnation in his meditation. He realized the whole purpose of human existence. He wanted to get detached from worldly life. He discussed his mind with his mother and the Raja matha. She gave him clarity of birth and death. He started separating from material possessions. He did charity for one year. Later with his mother’s blessings, he left the kingdom to attain omniscience.

Nirvana

He started preaching people about life and death. He began to spread Jainism. The core values of Jain philosophy insists on detachment. He educated people about the Right Knowledge, Right Conduct, and Right Action. He also told them about ahimsa and path to renunciation. People started following his path for liberation. After long years of preaching people, he achieved Nirvana at Sammed Shikhar.

Later within three months of rigorous spiritual penances, below the Priyangu tree, he discarded all the four Ghati Karmas to attain omniscience. Then for a significantly extended period, he persistently enlightened the people and propagated the real religion.

When he knew he should reach the paradise he went to Sammed Shikharji and started fasting. During one month of his fasting, he slowly started getting liberated and ultimately attained Nirvana.

Conclusion

Chandraprabha means the moon. There exists an idol of Chandraprabha at Tijara Jain temple in Rajasthan. Jains wish to visit this place in their life time to seek the blessings of the realized soul.

Bhagavan Chandraprabh urged humankind to understand the Divine nature of life. He also exhorted them to go beyond the cycles of birth and death. The successful way to obtain everlasting liberation from worldly life is to get detached. He taught them to conquer their internal enemies; namely, the negative qualities that did not allow them to get liberated.

His kindness and love gave him a permanent place in the heart of everyone. Many people embraced ascetic life along with him. He won the purpose of his birth by liberating people from the life and birth cycle.

Such blessed souls come to earth to provide help to humankind to attain Nirvana. India has the grace to have such souls born in the nation to offer Mukti to humanity.

Family
Father:	Mahasena
Mother:	Lakshmana
Dynasty:	Ikshvaku
Places
Birth:	Chandrapuri
Nirvana:	Sammed Shikhar
Attributes
Colour:	White
Symbol:	Cresent Moon
Height:	150 dhanusha (450 meters)
Age:	1,000,000 purva (70.56 Quintillion Years)
Attendant Gods
Yaksha:	Vijay
Yaksini:	Jvala