The life of Lord Shri 1008 Shantinath Ji, the sixteenth Tirthankara of Jainism, gives a unique message of peace, compassion and self-control to humanity. His very name Shantinath is a symbol of this, he showed the world the path to inner peace through his life and teachings. According to Jainism, Lord Shantinath was the sixteenth Tirthankara and the fifth Chakravarti as well as the holder of the post of Kamadeva.
When the soul of Lord Shantinath came into the womb of Mother Era Devi with all the accomplishments, the gods of heaven came and celebrated the Garbhkalyanak Mahotsav of the Tirthankara great man. After nine months had passed, the Nath of Teen Loka was born in the morning on the Chaturdashi of Jyeshtha Krishna Paksha in the house of King Shri Vishwa Sen and Queen Mrs. Era Devi of Hastinapur. Lord Shantinath ji was born in Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. The gods celebrated the birth ceremony by taking him to Mount Sumeru and named him Shantinath.
Lord Shantinath was one lakh years old, his body was 40 bows high and his body was like gold and his symbol is deer. His father Maharaj Vishwasen was a glorious and just ruler, while his mother Era Devi was a very devout and ideal woman. When Lord reached puberty, his father married him to many girls. In this way, twenty-five thousand years of Lord Kumar’s reign had passed, then Maharaj Vishwa Sen handed over his kingdom and renounced pleasures. When twenty-five thousand more years of the Lord passed, then in his armory a Chakra Ratna was born which revealed the glory of Chakravarti. Taking the Chakra Ratna etc., the Lord left for Digvijay and after formally conquering Digvijay, he ruled this Bharat region under an umbrella.
Chakravarti had ninety-six thousand queens and were full of the splendor of Chakravarti. When the Lord had spent twenty-five thousand years in the kingdom, then at one time, looking at himself in the mirror, he remembered his previous birth, then the Lord became detached thinking about the world of the body and the nature of enjoyments. Soon he realized that material happiness is momentary and real happiness lies in the purification of the soul. This realization inspired him to get away from the worldly attachments and take initiation. He progressed towards enlightenment through rigorous meditation and spiritual practice. After attaining renunciation, the divine gods came and worshiped and praised him and at that time Indra was also present.
God handed over the kingdom to his son named Narayan by coronation. Indra performed the initiation ceremony and took the humans and gods to the forest outside Hastinapura, seated in a palanquin named Sarvar Siddhi. Following the rules on Jyeshtha Krishna Chaturdashi, the Lord bowed his Panchmukhi hair and said Namah Siddha and took Jaineshwari Diksha, renouncing all attachment and became stable in meditation. God had three knowledge from birth, after taking initiation he also got the fourth knowledge, Manah Parya. After prolonged penance he attained only knowledge (omniscience). Then on the day of Pausha Shukla Dashami, he reached the 13th Gunasthan and became adorned with only knowledge. Immediately, with the permission of Indra, Kuber composed Samosaran. There were thirty-six Ganadhars in the Lord’s Samosaran.
In this way the Lord started giving sermons for the welfare of all living beings for a long time. He clarified, man’s biggest enemy is his own anger, greed and ego. Only by conquering these can a person move towards true peace and salvation. When one month was left in the Lord’s life, Sammed Shikhar came and completed his meditation and after destroying all the four Aghatia deeds, on the day of Jyeshtha Krishna Chaturdashi, he sat at the forefront of the world i.e. attained salvation. It is said in the Uttar Purana, apart from Shri Shantinath Jinendra, there is no other Tirthankar in the world who has attained huge religious growth in every previous life, that is, no one, that is why constant meditation of Lord Shantinath, who does good to all, always provides peace and strength to everyone.
