THE TONK OF SHRI PARASVNATH PRABHU

Picture shows the Tonk of Shri Parasvnath Prabhu yesterday. As in Shikharji, the Tonk of Shri Parasvnath Prabhu is at one end of Siddhachalam at a significant height.

SHIKHARJI AT SIDDHACHALAM

The Tonk of Shri Parasvnath Prabhu is ready for dedication of shilas. Shilanyas is on Sunday, July 15, 2012. Participation is now open.

Shri Parasvnath Prabhu

Bhagwaan Parasvnath is the Moolnayak of Teerthadhiraj Shikharji.
He is our 23rd Tirthankar (birth 877 B.C., nirvana 777 B.C.). He attained nirvana at Shikharji atop Parasvnath Hill (present-day Jharkhand in India), the highest peak south of the Himalayas. His symbolic charan-kamal are set in stone at the spot where he is said to have attained nirvana. As in Shikharji, we shall dedicate His symbolic charan-kamal at the Tonk made in Siddhachalam.The dedication of His charan-kamal will be done by the community at large at a grand pratishtha on Saturday, August 11, 2012. Participation is now open for pratishtha as well.

Siddhachalam Parasvnath Temple

Shri Parasvnath Prabhu attained kevalgyaan (absolute knowledge, omniscience) through intense meditation 84 days after becoming an ascetic. Acharya Sushil Kumarji (“Guruji”), a self-realized yogi, often described Bhagwaan Parasvnath as the supreme yogi, the ideal for all aspiring yogis. The Siddhachalam Parasvnath Temple, the only Jinalaya (temple in honor of a Tirthankar) dedicated solely to Him outside of India, is a living testimony to Guruji’s profound devotion towards Him. In that Temple, one can find the song Guruji composed and sang in the glory of Bhagwaan Parasvnath.

Four-fold Path

Bhagwaan Parasvnath taught the four-fold path to self-purification comprising of, among other things, the vows of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing) and aparigraha (non-attachment to possessions). Two hundred fifty years later, Bhagwaan Mahavira (birth 599 B.C., nirvana 527 B.C.), our 24th Tirthankar of this avasarpini (cycle of time) independently realized the truths last propounded by Bhagwaan Parasvnath. He added the fifth vow of bramhacharya (celibacy) which during Bhagwaan Parasvnath’s time was considered a part of aparigraha. Besides Jains, Bhagawaan Parasvnath is venerated by various tribes of Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in India.

Picture shows the inner sanctum of the Tonk that is ready to receive the shilas.
To know more about shilas and Shilanyas, please go to http://www.shikharjiatsiddhachalam.org/shilanyas/#/12/
That site has a beautiful publication brought out in 2011. In August 2011, Shilanyas was performed on all Tonks other than the Tonk of Shri Parasvnath Prabhu. That long-awaited and most important Shilanyas is scheduled for Sunday, July 15, 2012, when ghee boli bidding will take place for the dedication of main shila.
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How to Participate

Participation is open for Shilanyas (small shilas and main shila) and for Pratishtha of Shri Parasvnath Prabhu’s grand Tonk.

This is the last opportunity to help replicate Shikharji. Be part of this spectacular and historic moment in the history of Jains. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, or visit Siddhachalam.
Congratulations, thank you and Jai Jinendra.

PS. To help those driving cars and walking on trails, Siddhachalam now has a one-way traffic policy. The sole entrance is 111 Hope Road (and not 65 Mud Pond Road). Let us help make walking on foot within our teerth safer and even more enjoyable! Thank you.