Śāntinātha (Sanskrit: शान्तिनाथ) or Śānti is the sixteenth Tīrthaṅkara of Jainism in the present age (Avasarpini).[2] According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north Indian city of Hastinapur. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the Indian calendar. He was also a Chakravarti and a Kamadeva. He ascended to the throne when he was 25 years old. After over 25,000 years on the throne, he became a Jain monk and started his penance.
After renunciation, the legends state that he travelled without food and sleep and after sixteen years received his first ahara (food) after achieving kevala gnana. He attained Moksha on Sammed Shikharji and became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.
Along with Rishabhanatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha and Mahavira, Shantinatha is one of the five Tirthankaras who attract the most devotional worship among the Jains. His icons include the eponymous deer as his emblem, the Nandi tree, GarudaYaksha, and NirvaniYakshi.
Śhāntinātha is believed to be an idea of peace and tranquillity, hence prayed to avert calamities and epidemics and bestows welfare to worshippers and hymns to Śhāntinātha are recited during the last rites.
He was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira at Hastinapur on the 13th day of Jestha Krishna in the Ikshvaku clan.[6] Before the birth of Shantinatha, Queen Aćira dreamt the most auspicious dreams (fourteen according to the Śvetāmbara tradition and sixteen according to the Digambara tradition).[7] According to Śvetāmbara monk Acharya Hemachandra, epidemics, evils and misery were destroyed when Shantinatha was in his mother's womb. According to Jain tradition, Indra named him Śhānti due to Jinas' love for peace.[6]
Life before renunciation
Shantinatha spent 25,000 years as a youth (kumāra kāla) and married a beautiful princess Yaśomatī.[8][7][9] Jain texts portray Shantinatha as tall; his height was given as 120 feet (37 m).[10] He ruled his kingdom for 50,000 years.[11] During his rule, armoury was blessed with divine chakraratna. During his reign he conquered all six divisions of the earth in all directions, acquiring elephants, horses, nine-fold most precious treasures and fourteen ratna (jewels). Shantinatha became the fifth Chakravartin.[8][12][9]
During his time, an epidemic of epilepsy broke out and he helped to control it.[9] Shantinath became the idea of peace and tranquillity by averting epidemics, fire, famine, foreign invasions, robbers, etc., giving him the name of Shantinath. He is also associated with special right to ward of diseases known as Shantikarma.[13][14]
Renunciation
Raja Dharma Mitra offering first meal to TirthankaraShantinatha, 19th century (Digambara Tradition)
Shantinatha, when made aware of his previous incarnations, renounced his worldly life and became a Jain ascetic.[12] According to Jain texts, Shantinatha neither slept nor ate during his penance and meditated under nandi tree. After his sixteen years of asceticism, on the ninth bright day of the month of Pausha (December–January), he achieved kevala jnana .[13]
After achieving kevala jnana he visited Somanasapur, and was offered first ahara (food) by King Dharma Mitra and his wife.[15]
King Megharath, one of the Shantinatha previous incarnation, saving pigeons life by sacrificing his own limbs
King Srisena was a kind hearted King well-versed in proper conduct and fulfilled the wishes of the petitioners. He had two wives, Abhinanditā and Śikhinanditā. Abhinanditā is described as the mother of his two sons Induṣeṇa and Binduṣeṇa.[7]
Amitateja, prince of Arkakirti is described as a very responsible person, who never neglected his duties as King. He became a Jain ascetic under the influence of Acharya Abhinandana.[7]
Heavenly deva in 10th heaven Pranat (20 sagars life span)[note 3]
Aparajit Baldeva in East Mahavideha (life span of 84,00,000 purva)[note 4]
Heavenly Indra in 12th heaven Achyuta (22 sagars life span)
Vajrāyudha Chakri, the son of Tirthankar Kshemanakar in East Mahvideha. Vajrāyudha was named so as his mother, Lakṣmīvatī's, dreamed of a thunderbolt as one of the fourteen auspicious dreams indicating that he would become a Vajrin (Indra). His father, Kṣemaṅkara, became an Arihant and Vajrāyudha also became a Jain ascetic.[7]
Heavenly deva in Navgraivayak heaven (25 sagars' life span).[7]
King Megharath, the son of Dhanarath in East Mahavideh in the area where Simandhar Swami is moving at present.[21][22] He save a pigeon from a falcon by sacrificing his own flesh of equal weight as the dove. The dove, was deity named Sarupa who increase weight supernaturally but King Megharath remained steadfast on promise to protect him. The scenes from Megharath's life are popular in Jain art.[8][23]
Heavenly deva in Sarvartha Siddha Heaven (33 sagars life span)
Disciples
According to Jain texts, Cakrayudha Svami was the leader of the Shantinatha disciples.[12][6]
Legacy
Worship
Miniature painting of Shantinatha surrounded by ascetics, devotees and animals, 18th century
Śhāntinātha being an idea of peace and tranquillity, it is believed that chanting the name Śhāntinātha averts calamities and epidemics and bestows welfare to worshippers.[24] In the Śvetāmbara tradition, Nirvāṉi, the yakshi of Śhāntinātha, is also associated with Shantinatha as Śhānti-devī in prayers for peace.[13] During the last rites, recitation of Namokar Mantra and hymns to the Jina and Śhāntinātha are performed.[25]
Shanti Snaatra Puja is a special prayer for universal peace and the welfare of all living beings. During the prayer, offerings are made 27 or 108 times to Shantinatha.[26] The Laghnu-Shanti-stavaa, compiled by Manadeva suri in the 7th century, is a hymn to Shantinatha full of tantric usage and identify Shantinatha as Siva, the Lord of Shanta.[27] According to Jinaprabha Suri, the temples dedicated to Shantinatha existed in Kishkindha, Lanka and Trikuta.[13]
According to Santistava compiled by Acharya Manadevasuri, an Acharya of the Śvetāmbara sect in the third century, mere recitation of Shantinatha's name negates all bad omens, brings peace and protects devotees from problems.[28]Santistava is considered by Śvetāmbaras as one of the four most beautifully written stavans (hymn[29][30]).[31]Jinastotrāņi is a collection of hymn dedicated to Shantinatha along with Munisuvrata, Chandraprabha, Neminatha, Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha. Other Śvetāmbara hymns that are dedicated to Shantinatha are the Ajit-Shanti Stotra (a hymn dedicated to Shantinatha and the 2nd TirthankaraAjitanatha) and the Bruhad-Shanti Stotra (a hymn dedicated to Shantinatha that is recited during the Snaatra Puja as per the Śvetāmbara tradition). During the Chaityavandan (a ritual that consists of a series of hymns in obeisance to a Tirthankara), lay-followers of the Śvetāmbara tradition recite a hymn Sakalkushalvalli which is dedicated to Shantinatha and the 23rd TirthankaraParshvanatha.[32]
Samantabhadra'sSvayambhustotra praises the twenty-four tirthankaras, and its eight shlokas (songs) adore Shantinatha.[33] One such shloka reads:
First, Lord Śhāntinātha Jina, for a long period of time, wielded supremacy as a king and provided protection to his subject from enemies; later on, on his own, became an ascetic and, as the embodiment of benevolence, pacified evil tendencies.
Image of Shantinath on a leaf from Yogaśāstra, 12th century
The Shantinatha Charitra, by Acharya Ajitprabhasuri in 14th century, describes the life of the 16th Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha. This text is the oldest example of miniature painting and has been declared as a global treasure by UNESCO.[35] * Santyastaka is a hymn in praise of Śāntinātha composed by Acharya Pujyapada in the fifth century.[36] Acharya Hemachandra's Trishashti-Shalakapurush-Charitra describes the previous births as well as the final birth of Shantinatha in detail as per the Śvetāmbara tradition. Shantipurana, written around the 10th century by Sri Ponna, is considered to be one of the three gems of Kannada literature.[37][38][39]
Ajitasanti or Ajita-Śhānti-stava composed by Acharya Nandisenasuri, a seventh century Jain monk, a famous Śvetāmbara hymn, has alternate verses praising Ajitnatha and Shantinatha.[40][13]Mahapurusha Charitra, compiled by Merutunga in the 13th—14th centuries, talks about Shantinatha.[41]Santikara was compiled by Munisundarasuri in the 15th century.[42]
Iconography
Shantinatha is usually depicted in a sitting or standing meditative posture with the symbol of a deer or antelope beneath him.[43][44] Every tīrthankara has a distinguishing emblem that allows worshippers to distinguish similar-looking idols of the tirthankaras.[45][46][47] The deer or antelope emblem of Shantinath is usually carved below the legs of the tirthankara. Like all tirthankaras, Shantinath is depicted with Shrivatsa[note 5] and downcast eyes.[48]
^Heinrich Zimmer: "The cycle of time continually revolves, according to the Jainas. The present "descending" (avasarpini) period was preceded and will be followed by an "ascending" (utsarpini). Sarpini suggests the creeping movement of a "serpent" (sarpin); ava- means "down" and ut- means up."[3]
^Some texts refer to the place as Mount Sammeta.[16] This place is revered in Jainism because 20 out of 24 Jinas died here.[17]
^A special symbol that marks the chest of a Tirthankara. The yoga pose is very common in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Each tradition has had a distinctive auspicious chest mark that allows devotees to identify a meditating statue as a symbolic icon for their theology. There are several srivasta found in ancient and medieval Jain artworks, and these are not found on Buddhist or Hindu art works.
Jacobi, Hermann (1964), Max Muller (The Sacred Books of the East Series, Volume XXII) (ed.), Jaina Sutras (Translation), Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Oxford University Press)
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