A Tirth reinforces the fundamentals. Siddhachalam does that again.
Guruji founded Siddhachalam as a spiritual refuge (ashram) for one in search of his or her true self (atmasiddhi). “There is a powerful vibration here,” he said. “Ultimately, the situation at Siddhachalam will be that when anyone [true seeker] comes here, he will get enlightenment.” “I will do some work perfectly; I know what the result will be,” he declared. “Whether the Guru sits here or not, whether anyone gives suggestion or not, kundalini will awaken. This will be the situation, and I will do that in my lifetime and yours.” “You can accomplish anything here. You can meditate and you will get success [here]. You can do business and you will get success. And you can play. The time is coming.”1
Atmasiddhi – realizing one’s true self – is the North Star of the Jaina path of freedom. As Acharya Kund Kund said:
My own self is knowledge, vision and conduct. I find my true self in renunciation. I stop karma through yogic meditation.2
And why is atmasiddhi essential? Bhagwaan Mahavira said:
He who knows the self, comprehends everything. He who comprehends everything, knows that which alone is worthy of knowledge (the self).3
Upon realizing his true self across multiple lives, Bhagwaan Mahavira revealed them to us.
Guruji was atmasiddh. He said that in the course of his meditations, he could vividly travel back three of his previous lives. Says the Acharanga Sutra: “One who knows the world through the knowledge of his self is a [true] muni. He knows dharma and is simple. He acquires perfectly the knowledge about attachment and the source of the cycle of birth and death.”4 Guruji was such a muni, and Siddhachalam was his tapa-bhoomi (site for the practice of austerity and meditation). Siddhachalam is Guruji’s timeless gift to all those in search of her or his atma.
At the root of atmasiddhi is the quest for moksha (freedom from the endless cycle of life and rebirth). The name Siddhachalam is itself a giveaway: a permanent homage to the siddhas who attained moksha.
Fittingly, Tirthadhiraj5 Shikharji – the place that most powerfully symbolizes moksha – is replicated to scale over Siddhachalam’s 120 acres of sacred land. Shikharji at Siddhachalam speaks to what Siddhachalam stands for: its every grain unmistakably reminds one of moksha and our collective belief in its primacy.
No one stream of thought has a monopoly on atmasiddhi. And to exemplify that, Guruji dedicated a grand temple comprising of Digambar and Swetambar pratimajis (idols) on the same altar, perhaps the first such temple in the world.6 Fittingly too, in time, the first shrine in Siddhachalam enroute to that temple was dedicated to Bhadrabahu Swami, the last acharya of the undivided Jaina sangh.
And now, Siddhachal Bahubali Tirth stays on message: alongside a Swetambar pratimaji of Bhagwaan Adinath, there will stand tall in immobile meditation a lifelike statue of Bahubalidev, the perfect exemplar of all qualities of one seeking moksha. The Tattvarthasutra describes those qualities best:
Supreme forgiveness (uttama kṣamā), supreme humility (uttama mārdava), supreme simplicity (uttama ārjava), supreme purity (uttama śauca), supreme truthfulness (uttama satya), supreme self- restraint (uttama saṃyama), supreme austerity (uttama tapa), supreme renunciation (uttama tyāga), supreme non-attachment (uttama ākiñcanya), and supreme celibacy (uttama brahmacarya). These constitute the dharma of one seeking moksha.7
Siddhachalam is often referred to as the only place of pilgrimage for Jains outside India. It remain true to its foundational principles in seeking to symbolize the central themes of Jaina beliefs and in nurturing our roots.
Welcome to being a part of making history in North America!
Guruji wrote those words after an extended period of meditation at Siddhachalam. First reproduced in Siddhachalam Newsletter, December 3, 1983. ↩︎
Syadwad Manjari, Mallisena paraphrasing Acharanga Sutra, Chapter 3, Lesson 1, 130 One who knows one (self), knows all. One who conquers oneself, conquers all). ↩︎
Guruji was a monk of the Sthanakwasi, temple denying, Jain order. Guruji said that a hundred years from now Jains of the West shall have broken down the narrow walls that separate them into sects. Then, a more enlightened form of Jainism focused on its fundamentals shall find its way back into India. ↩︎
Please join us in writing the story of Bahubali in marble for our children and theirs, and for all times to come!
Bhoomi Pujan & Khanan August 17-18, 2024
Register Now! Make your participation known and help us make Siddhachal Bahubali Tirth! Select below all that apply:
Plaque at Devbhoomi: 2 names, City and State for each $1,008 contribution Siddhachalam is a 501(c)(3) religious public charity. Donations are tax deductible.
One who knows one (self), knows all. One who conquers oneself, conquers all). ↩︎