The Life of Tirthankara Neminath: History, Renunciation, and Girnar
A long time ago, the Yädava clan settled on the banks of the River Yamunä in India. The major centers of the Yädava community were Mathurä and Sauripura, located in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh. When the Yädava King Samudravijay ruled over Sauripura with his wife, Shivädevi, they had a son, Lord Neminäth, and named him Nemkumär. Because his mother dreamt of a series of black jewels called Arista when he was in her womb, he is also known as Aristanemi.
King Väsudev, the younger brother of King Samudravijay, was the King of Mathurä. He had two queens; Queen Rohini, who had a son named Balräm (Padma), and Queen Devaki, who had a son named Shri Krishna. Both Balräm and Shri Krishna were the ninth Baldev and Väsudev as per Jain tradition. Shri Krishna is also the incarnation of Lord Vishnu (God) in the Hindu religion.
During this time, hunting was a favored sport and gambling was considered a respectable activity. Religious ceremonies included animal sacrifice, and a non-vegetarian diet was very popular.
Meanwhile, the whole area of central India had been disturbed due to the prevailing conspiracies among various kingdoms. King Kamsa and the oppressive King Jaräsangh of Magadha, a Prativäsudev by the Jain tradition, instigated the worst problems.
In order to protect the people, various kings of the Yädava clan, including Samudravijay, Väsudev, Ugrasen, and Shri Krishna, migrated from Mathurä and Sauripura to the West Coast of Gujarat, India. Shri Krishna constructed the large and beautiful town of Dvärkä on the seacoast near the Raivatak (Girnär) Mountain. Its grand architecture and strong fortification made it heavenly, beautiful, and unconquerable.
Ugrasen became the King of Junagadh, situated on the other side of the foothills of Mount Girnär. By his wife Dhärini, he had a daughter named Räjimati or Räjul. She was a beautiful and graceful young girl and many princes were eager to marry her. However, when she came to know of Nemkumär, she became captivated and desired to marry him. King Ugrasen sent a request to Nemkumär for an engagement to Räjul. After considerable effort, friends and family persuaded Nemkumär to become engaged to Räjul. Everyone was happy, thinking that Nem and Räjul would make an ideal couple. The two were engaged and an auspicious day was fixed for their wedding ceremony.
For King Ugrasen, the wedding of his beloved daughter was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion and so he made elaborate wedding arrangements. On the wedding day, Nemkumär mounted his chariot, specially decorated for the wedding, and a large number of people gathered to witness the gorgeous wedding ceremony. However, as the procession was approaching its destination, Nemkumär heard the sobbing sounds of animals. Moreover, on the side of the road, he saw large fenced areas and cages full of wailing animals and birds.
Filled with sympathy and compassion, Nemkumär asked the charioteer why those animals and birds were being kept in bondage. The charioteer informed him that the wailing sounds were coming from the birds and animals that were to be slaughtered for the wedding dinner. Upon hearing this, Nemkumär could not bear the idea of violence being caused on the account of his wedding. He asked the charioteer to free all the animals and birds and started thinking about how to prevent such violence. “Can there be a way of life that would extend peace and security to every living being?” he asked himself. As he thought deep into the matter, it was clear to him that he should explore a way of life that promoted the well-being of all. He realized that after marriage, he might get too involved in worldly life and it would be hard for him to embark upon such an exploration. Since the present seemed like the right time for him to explore the truth that would lead to the happiness of every living being, he decided not to get married.
Everyone on the bridegroom’s side was taken aback by his decision. His friends and close relatives tried to dissuade him, but he calmly explained that his mission was to explore freedom from misery for all living beings. He further explained, “As these animals were prisoners in their cages, we all are prisoners in the cages of karma which are much stronger than these fences. The feeling of joy is evident in the animals released from the cages. Happiness is in freedom, not in bondage. I want to find the path to breaking this bondage of karma and embrace eternal bliss. Please do not stop me.” Then, he asked the charioteer to turn back.
After returning to his kingdom, Nemkumär spent a year donating all his belongings to the poor and the needy. At the end of the year, he left his royal palace and went to the nearby Raivata garden. Under an Ashok tree, he took off all his ornaments and royal dress and pulled out five fistfuls of hair, becoming an ascetic along with one thousand others. Shri Krishna, deeply touched, blessed his cousin and wished him success in his mission.
Monk Nemkumär first went to Mount Girnär and entered intense meditation. As he stood motionless, trying to find the cause of all unhappiness, he realized that ignorance of the true nature of the Self led to wrong perception, and consequent wrong actions resulted in all sorts of misery and pain. He therefore dwelled deep on the Self.
After spending fifty-four days in deep spiritual meditation at Mount Girnär, Neminäth destroyed all his Ghäti karmas, which were obscuring the true nature and power of the soul. He attained Keval-jnän and became an omniscient. He established the four-fold religious order (Chaturvidha Sangh or Tirtha) and became the twenty-second Tirthankar of the Jain religion. Thereafter, he lived a long life preaching the path of liberation to the common people.
At the time when Neminäth was deciding to renounce his worldly life, Räjul was being adorned by her girlfriends. She was eagerly waiting for the arrival of Nemkumär as the bridegroom when they heard the news that he had turned back. No one could understand his decision. Räjul was in utter grief. Her friends tried to console her in that hour of crisis. Some of them started cursing Nemkumär for putting their beloved friend in such a miserable condition, while others advised her to forget the unpredictable Nemkumär and look for another suitable match. However, in her heart, Räjul had accepted Nemkumär as her husband and she could not even think of any other person taking his place. She did not like anyone cursing Nemkumär or speaking poorly of him.
She also had some spiritual orientation. When she came to know of the reason for his renouncement, she was able to overcome her grief. She realized that Nemkumär had left for a commendable purpose. Appreciating his mission, she thought that the best path for her was to follow his footsteps. She absorbed herself in religious practices.
When Räjul heard that Neminäth had become an omniscient she went to the Samavasaran along with many of her friends and took Dikshä. She absorbed herself in meditation and penance and spent the rest of her life as the head of the order of the nuns. In the end, after destroying all her karmas, she attained liberation.