Introduction

Lord Sambhavnath is the third Tirthankara in Jainism. A very accomplished king, he renounced the worldy matter to destroy all his karmas and attain liberation. He showed everyone the path of living with harmony and attaining moksha. He had a golden complexion and was four hundred hands tall. He lived for 60 Lac Purva Years. His symbol is a horse and is seen under all his idols.

Previous Life

On the northern banks of river Sita, flowing in the eastern Videh was ‘KaCha’. In the Kshempura Nagar ruled the King Vimalvahan. One day after attaining dikhsha he read the eleven units of Jainism and started meditating. Indulging in penance and reflecting about the ‘solahkaran bhavana’, he purified his soul such as to earn the Tirthankara karma. On death he became an Ahamindra in the Sudrshan viman.

Panchakalyanak-

Incarnation and Birth

King Drirhraj was the ruler of Shravasti (currently in U.P). He was a Kshatriya of the ikshvaku dynasty. Lady Sushena was his Queen. on ‘Falgun Krishna Ashtami’, under the constellation of Orion Ahamindra was incarnated into Sushena’s womb. She gave birth to a child on ‘Kartik Shukla Pornima’. Saudharma Indra after the child’s anointment named him ”sambhavnath”.

Renounciation

Sambhavnath ruled the kingdom of Shravasti after his father for fourty four lakh purva. He once saw the delusion of clouds and started introspecting. He then went along with a thousand kings and took diksha in Sahetuk Forest under a Silk Cotton Tree. King Surendradatt of Sravasti was the first to give alms to Sambhavnath Swami.

Omniscience and Samavsharan

After a enduring penance for fourteen years without speaking to anyone, Lord Sambhavnath finally attained omniscience. It was on the ‘Kartik Krushna Chaturdashi’ under a Shalmali tree. After omniscience the Indra’s made the great divine hall (samavsharan) for the Lord’s sermon. Present in the sermon were 105 gandharas including the chief disciple Shri Charusen. Apart from the disciple the discourse was attended by two lakh munis, three lakh and twenty thousand aryikas, three lakh shravaks and five lakh shravikas. His demi-god and goddess are Trimukh Dev and Pragyapti Devi.

Salvation

Nearing his death Sambhavnath Swami travelled to Sammed Shikharji. One month before the end he along with thousand other kings undertook ‘pratimayog’. On the auspicious day of ‘Chaitra Shukla Pashthi’ he attained nirvana.