The Life and Stories of the Jaina Saviour Parsvanatha

Summary

The digest summarises Maurice Bloomfield’s 1919 English version of Bhavadeva Sūri’s **Pārśvanātha Carita**, presenting the legendary life of the twenty‑third Jina. Sarga 1 recounts the tragic story of the brothers Marubhuti and Kamatha, sons of King Aravinda. Marubhuti is virtuous while Kamatha is licentious; jealousy leads Kamatha to murder his brother, earning him rebirth as a hell‑inhabiting serpent. Marubhuti’s soul, reborn as a wild elephant, is eventually tamed by the sage Aravinda, who instructs him in the Jain dharma. Sarga 2 describes King Kiranavega, whose conversion by a sage leads him to renounce the world and achieve **jīvan‑mukti** (liberation while alive). Sarga 3 introduces King Vajranabha and his infidel cousin Kuvera; sceptical Kuvera is converted through a discourse on four worldly virtues—tact, discernment, association with the good and resolute courage. Sarga 4 narrates the rise of Emperor Suvarnabhanu: born to Queen Sudarsana amid auspicious dreams, he meets the maiden Padma (also called Nanda), marries her, becomes king of the Vidyādharas and later a **Cakravartin** (world emperor). After meeting the Tirthankara Jagannatha, he renounces imperial insignia, takes vows and attains enlightenment; he later dies after being attacked by a lion inhabited by the soul of Kurangaka. Sarga 5 describes the early life of Lord Pārśva. The soul of the lion becomes Katha, a Brahmin who turns ascetic. The soul of Suvarnabhanu descends into Queen Vamādevī’s womb in Varanasi. She has fourteen auspicious dreams and gives birth to a son named Pārśva after seeing a serpent in a dream. Pārśva is raised in royal luxury and exhibits the twenty‑two auspicious marks. Sargas 6 and 7 recount his marriage to Prabhāvatī, his compassionate acts—including rescuing a serpent thrown into a fire by the ascetic Katha—and his renunciation. Inspired by the example of Arhat Nemi, Pārśva distributes his riches, plucks out his hair and becomes a monk at thirty. He wanders, preaching the four‑fold dharma (charity, virtue, asceticism and character) and classifying vows for monks and householders. His sermon converts many, including his parents and wife. Sarga 8 describes his final journey. Knowing that nirvāṇa is near, he ascends Mount Sammeta, practises asceticism for a month and destroys his remaining karma. Gods bathe his body in milk and build a jewelled stūpa over his bones. The digest thus portrays Pārśva as a compassionate prince who becomes a saviour through renunciation, preaching and ultimately nirvāṇa.