jainsreligions

Jainism Belief   According to Jain religious beliefs,  Neminath  also called Arishtanemi, the 22nd  Tirthankara  became an ascetic after he saw that animals were tied to be slaughtered for the feast on his wedding were crying and screaming to be released . Seeing this he realised that due his wedding thousands of animals were to be killed. He renounced all worldly pleasures and came to Mount Girnar to attain salvation. He attained  Moksha  (Nirvana) from highest peak of Mount Girnar. His bride-to-be Rajulmati also renounced and became a nun, further followed him to the sacred mountain. Jain Temples Girnar was anciently called Raivata or Ujjayanta, sacred amongst the Jains to Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankar, and a place of pilgrimage before 250 BCE. Situated on the first plateau of Mount Girnar at the height of about 3800 steps, at an altitude of 2370 ft above Junagadh, still some 600 ft below the first summit of Girnar, there ...

Diwali  has a very special significance in  Jainism . It marks the anniversary of  Nirvana  (final release) or liberation of  Mahavira 's soul, the twenty fourth and last Jain  Tirthankara  of  present cosmic age . It is also celebrated at the same time as the Hindu festival of  Diwali . Diwali marks the end of the year for the Jains and it likewise remembers the passing commemoration of their 24th Tirthankara Mahavira and his achievement of moksha. Mahavira attained Moksha (liberation) on this day at Pawapuri on 15 October 527 BCE, on Chaturdashi of Kartika, as confirmed by Tilyapannatti of Yativrsabha. Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of this era, revitalised Jain dharma. According to tradition, the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhara Gautam Swami also attained omniscience i.e. absolute or complete knowledge (Kevalgnan) on this day, thus m...

The  Navkar Mantra   is the most significant   mantra   in   Jainism , and one of the oldest mantras in continuous practice.   This is the first prayer recited by the Jains while   meditating . The mantra is also variously referred to as the   Pancha Namaskara Mantra ,   Namaskara Mantra ,   Navakara Mantra ,   Namaskara Mangala   or   Paramesthi Mantra . Below is the meaning of Namokar Mantra line by line, wherein the devotee first bows to the five supreme souls or Pancha-Parameṣṭhi: Arihant— Those who have destroyed the four inimical karmas Siddha — The persons who have achieved "Siddhi" Acharyas — The teachers who teach how to behave / live one's life ( Acharya = one who teaches Aacharan ) Upadhyaya — Preceptor of less advanced ascetics Sadhu — The monks or sages in the world practicing Samyak Charitra (right conduct) The practitioner also says that by bowing to all t...

In Jainisam Tirthankar is a saviour & spiritual teacher of Dharma.  The word  tirthankara  signifies the founder of a Tirtha.  According to Jains, a  Tirthankara  is an individual who has conquered the  saṃsara , the cycle of death and rebirth, on their own, and made a path for others to follow.   After understanding the true nature of the self or soul, the  Tīrthankara  attains Keval Gnan  (omniscience). Tirthankara provides a bridge for others to follow the new teacher from  saṃsara  to Moksha  (liberation).  In  Jain cosmology , the wheel of time is divided in two halves, Uvsarpini  or ascending time cycle Avsarpini , the descending time cycle (said to be current now). In each half of the cosmic time cycle, exactly twenty-four  tirthankaras  grace this part of the universe. There have been an infinite number of tirthankaras in the past time periods.  The first  ti...