Simandhar

SpouseRukamani

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Simandhar or Simandhara^[1] is a Tīrthaṅkara, an arihant, who is said to be currently living in another world in the Jain cosmological universe.

Residence in Jain cosmology

Simandhar resides at Mahavideh Kshetra, another land within the Jain cosmological universe (see Jain cosmology).^[2][3][4]

The five lands of the Bharat Kshetra are currently in the fifth Ara (a degraded time-cycle in which Tirthankaras do not take birth).^[5][6] The most recent Tirthankara present on Bharata Kshetra (present world) was Vardhamana Mahavira, whom historians estimate lived between 599 and 527 BCE, the last in a cycle of 24 Tirthankaras.^[7][8]

On Mahavideh Kshetra, the fourth Ara (a spiritually elevated time-cycle) exists continuously. There, Tirthankaras perpetually are born.^[9][5] There are 5 Mahavideh Kshetras, each being a separate land. At present, there are 4 Tirthankaras residing in each Mahavideh Kshetra. Thus there are a total of 20 Tirthankaras residing there, Simandhar being one among them.^[3][10]

Biography per Jain tradition

Simandhar is a living Tirthankara, an Arihant, who is said to be currently present on another world in the Jain cosmological universe.^[11][12] The Arihant Simandhar is believed to be currently 150,000 earth years old (equivalent to 49 years at Mahavideh Kshetra), and has a remaining lifespan of 125,000 earth years.^[13][14] He lives in the city of Pundarikgiri, the capital of Pushpakalavati, one of 32 geographical divisions on Mahavideh Kshetra.^[3][15][16] Pundarikgiri is ruled by King Shreyans, who is Simandhar's father. His mother is Satyaki. While pregnant with Simandhar, Satyaki had a sequence of auspicious dreams indicating that she would give birth to a Tirthankara.^[17][18] Simandhar was born with three complete aspects of jnana, or self-knowledge:

• Mati Jnana (see Jain epistemology), knowledge of the 5-sense realm
• Shruta Jnana (see Jain epistemology), knowledge of all forms of communication
• Avadhi Jnana (see Jain epistemology), clairvoyant knowledge^[19]

As a young adult, he married Rukamani and then, later in life, took diksha, renunciation from worldly life.^[17]

Simandhar's height is 500 dhanushya, approximately 1,500 feet, which is considered an average height for the people of Mahavideh Kshetra.^[3]

Worship

Iconography

Simandhara is usually depicted in a sitting or standing meditative posture with the symbol of a bull beneath him.^[20] Every Tīrthankara has a distinguishing emblem that allows worshippers to distinguish similar-looking idols of the Tirthankaras.^[21][22][23]

• 
  Simandhara in Digambar Jain temple, Ujjain
• 
  Idol of Simandhar at Trimandir, Vadodara

Main temples

• Trimandir, Adalaj

• 
  Trimandir, Vadodara
• 
  Adalaj Trimandir Temple
• 
  Simandhara Swami Derasar at Parel, Mumbai

See also

• Akram Vignan Movement

Notes

References

• Bhagwan, Dada (2005), Shree Simandhar Swami, Ahmedabad: Mahavideh Foundation
• Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), London and New York: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X
• Humphrey and Laidlaw (1994). The archetypal actions of ritual: a theory of ritual illustrated by the Jain rite of worship. Indiana University: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198279477.
• Jaini, Padmanabh S. (1998) [1979], The Jaina Path of Purification, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-1578-5
• King; Brockington (2005), Intimate Other, The Love Divine in Indic Religions, Orient Blackswan, ISBN 978-81-250-2801-7
• Shah, Natubhai (2004) [First published in 1998], Jainism: The World of Conquerors, vol. I, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-1938-1
• Shah, Pravin K (2002), Jain Philosophy and Practice 1 (PDF), JAINA Education Committee, ISBN 8185568014
• Dadashri, Gnani Purush (2005), The Current Living Tirthankara Shree Simandhar Swami (PDF), Dada Bhagwan Aradhana Trust
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1953) [April 1952], Campbell, Joseph (ed.), Philosophies Of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6
• Britannica Tirthankar Definition, Encyclopædia Britannica
• Krishna, Nanditha (2014), Sacred Animals of India, Penguin UK, ISBN 9788184751826
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987), Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: (Jaina iconography), vol. 1, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 9788170172086