Shree Arnath Bhagwan: Life Stories of the Eighteenth Tirthankara

Shree Arnath Bhagwan was the 18th Tirthankar and the 7th Chakravarti of the present time cycle. Like Shree Kunthunath Bhagwan and Shree Shantinath Bhagwan, He too had attained two statuses in the same birth, one of a Tirthankara and another of a Chakravarti. The complexion of the Lord was golden and His height measured 30 bows. 

Lord’s symbol (laanchhan) is Nandavarta. Shanmukh Yaksh Dev and Dhaarini Yakshini Devi are His Shaasan Dev and Shaasan Devi, respectively.

Come, let’s now read about the Lord’s life story and His two past births.

Shree Arnath Bhagwan - Previous Births

The third-last birth of Lord Arnath was as King Dhanpati in the Susima Nagri, located in Vatsavijay, in the Purva Mahavideh Kshetra of Jambudweep. King Dhanpati was a pious and religious person. He ruled his kingdom very nicely and his subjects were very happy with him. After many years of rule, he experienced detachment towards the world, and hence, took Diksha. After taking Diksha, with his great worship, he bound the Tirthankara-naam-gotra karma. On completing his lifespan, he reincarnated in the celestial world.

Shree Arnath Bhagwan – Childhood and Reign

After completing the lifespan in the celestial world, Lord Arnath took birth in the Bharat Kshetra’s Hastinapur Nagri at King Sudarshan’s and Queen Mahadevi’s place. The Mother, in her dream, had seen something like a chakra and its aaraa, due to which Lord’s name was kept as Arnath.

In His childhood, Lord Arnath learned a lot of skills. Thereafter, on attaining youth, because of the unfolding bhogaavli karma (the karma that one has no choice but to suffer), He got married. After marriage, His coronation took place. During His rule, upon getting victories, finally He won over the entire Earth. In other words, He became the ruler of the six continents (khands) and attained the status of a Chakravarti.

Diksha and Keval Gnan

After a long reign as a Chakravarti, a feeling of detachment took birth inside Him, and on the onset of an intense desire of attaining Moksha, He took Diksha and finished His sanjvalan karmas (mild kashays that are easily reversible). After three years of Diksha, Arnath Bhagwan attained Keval Gnan.

To attain one of the titles in the Tresath Shalaka means acquiring a very high status, as one is said to have salvation in hand. The first status is of a Tirthankar and the second one is of a Chakravarti. Attaining both these high statuses speaks a lot about Lord Arnath’s tremendous merit karmas. What a beautiful way He must have chosen to spend His merit karmas due to which He attained these statuses! The merit karmas were not used in worldly pleasures; rather, they were used for these statuses and salvation.

Deshna on Winning over Attachment and Abhorrence

After Keval Gnan of Lord Arnath, the celestial Gods constructed a Samovasaran, and Lord, seated in it, gave beautiful Deshna to the people of the world. In the Samovasaran, He gave Deshna on how to win over attachment and hatred.

What binds one to this world? It is attachment, abhorrence and ignorance. If ignorance goes, then attachment and hatred also leave. Similarly, if attachment and abhorrence leave completely, then ignorance also goes away. For some, ignorance goes away first; while for some, attachment and abhorrence go first. For those whose ignorance goes first, their attachment and abhorrence leave very easily and their path to salvation becomes straightforward and short.

The definition of attachment as per the Gnani Purush differs from that of a common man. When from the state of the Self, we get into the state of ‘I am the body’, then that’s called attachment. The first attachment that one has is towards one’s own body. When the body is believed as ‘I’, the attachment towards one’s own self begins from that very moment.

How attached we are to our own self! Due to that very attachment, one is unable to detect one’s own mistakes or realize that the view is wrong. In every matter, we believe, “I am right. Nothing of mine is wrong.” People in our vicinity face difficulty because of us; yet, we believe that ours is correct. Towards our body, we have so much of attachment and affection. If anything happens to our body, how restless we become; in the state of ignorance, attachment towards the body gives us a lot of suffering. Nothing of this sort affects the one who is free from body consciousness.

After attachment towards one’s own self, one advances and has intense attachment towards parents, wife, and thereafter, for children. In childhood, until we are walking holding our mother’s hand, we are so much attached to our mother that we can’t stay without her even for a moment. As we grow older and get into our teenage, we get into the bad company of a girlfriend or boyfriend, and consequently, the attachment towards mother and father reduces. In case, the mother and father are short-tempered or strict in nature and are keeping us in control, we even develop hatred towards them. We don’t feel like staying at home and then, consequently, hatred occurs.

If our parents do not allow us to act as per our will, then immediately, hatred develops towards them. From attachment, it takes no time at all for the hatred to arise. The root cause of bondage in this world is attachment. For whomever we have attachment, expectations arise for that person; when expectations are not fulfilled, tremendous suffering arises and we start hating that person.

Parents, too, have a lot of attachment towards their children, but when they grow big and begin to answer back, at that time, parents develop enormous hatred towards their children.

Even between husband and wife, initially, there is deep attachment; it feels very sweet when expectations are met, but when expectations are not met, conflict arises. If conflict arises and both forget about it in some time, then that’s good. By holding onto one’s own view and refusing to forgive the other person, a lot of bad karmas get bound. Then, such a situation could also arise that a love marriage culminates into a divorce! As a resolution, the very next moment, one should forget all about it and should become normal while uprooting one’s bad feelings; doing pratikraman, one should become free from one’s own faults. If a husband sees a fault of his wife or the wife sees a fault of her husband, at that time, immediately, one should bow down to the pure Soul residing inside the other person, ask for forgiveness, repent, and resolve never to do it again. It will be washed off on the spot. Otherwise, the (karmic) account bound with that person will be carried forward in the next birth.

Even in the matter of religion, people do the opposite and believe, "My religion is correct and the rest all are not mine and are wrong.” The moment it is believed that this is my religion, all other religions become not mine. Attachment occurs with the one that is believed to be mine and abhorrence occurs with the ones that are not mine. This is how attachment and abhorrence have happened in religion.

My sect, my community, my crowd, everything of mine is right; other than that, rest all is mithya or false; this should not be there. God is always impartial. One who takes sides cannot be called God; such a person cannot be called Self-realized even. The ignorant and false people fall into this ‘mine and yours’ business.

In the eyes of God, everyone is right from their viewpoint. We have to rise above attachment and hatred. We do not have to fall into the boundaries of any sects and views. The Soul alone is truly ours; it is where there are no sects, views, taking sides, difference of opinion, or belief that mine is right and yours is wrong, as Soul within all of us is the same. Therefore, we have to become Atma swaroop (the Real form of the Self). By only being so, we will be able to be free from attachment and hatred. When Self-realization happens, we become free from attachment and hatred; thereafter, detachment comes. Each Tirthankar became fully detached and attained salvation.

Nirvana

Lord Arnath had 33 Ganadhars. Upon completion of His lifespan, Arnath Bhagwan attained Moksha from the Samet Shikharji Mountain. Let us also intend, “Moksha that Tirthankar Bhagwan attained is my goal too; it’s the only goal, there is no other goal."