Tirthankar Charitra 41- Dharmanath Bhagwan Jeevan Charitra-1 | Dharmanath Bhagwan Story

SHREE DHARMANATH BHAGWAN: EXPLORING THE PAST AND LAST BIRTHS
Recognized by the vajra (thunderbolt) laanchan (symbol), Dharmanath Bhagwan is the 15th Tirthankara of this current time cycle. Born in the Ratnapur city, He was the son of King Bhanu and Queen Suvrata Devi. His height measured 45 bows. After a long span of life, He took Diksha and attained Nirvana. Kinnar Yaksh Dev and Kandarpa Yakshini Devi are His Shaasan Dev and Shaasan Devi, respectively.
Three Bhavs of Dharmanath Bhagwan:-
1. King Dridrath
2. Vijayant Anuttar Viman
3. Dharmanath Bhagwan
Let’s now go through the life stories of the Lord’s past two births, prior to His birth as Tirthankara. Finally, we will go through His final birth story.
The Third Last Birth as King Dridhrath and Second Last Birth in Heaven
Lord Dharmanath, in His third-last birth, was born as a King named Dridhrath in the city of Bhaddil in Bharat Vijay located in the region of Mahavideh Kshetra in Ghatki Khand. He was a pious King who ruled his kingdom with purity. Distinctly, he ruled with detachment just as a guest in his own home.
Even Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, the spiritual scientist of the Akram path to liberation, used to live like a guest in His own home. Does a guest have any tension or need to do anything? Does the guest even have to interfere into anything? No, right? The other members of the home, as the hosts, keep everything, ranging right from towel to food, ready for the guest, right? Thus, He used to say to live like a guest at home.
Similarly, King Dridhrath ran his kingdom like a guest. After some time of ruling the kingdom, he took Diksha and profoundly worshipped and sang praises of the Tirthankaras. As a result, he gained the Tirthankara-naam-gotra-karma. After completing his lifespan, he took birth as a celestial being in the Vijayant Anuttar heaven. Here, he had a very long lifespan.
The Last Birth as a Tirthankara Bhagwan Dharmanath Swami
After completing the lifespan as a celestial being, the Soul of King Dridhrath descended into the womb of Queen Suvrata Devi who was the wife of King Bhanu of Ratnapur city in Bharat Kshetra. When this Soul was in the womb, the Queen was much active in religious activities and many religious desires were occurring from within. Due to the increased inclination towards religion, the parents named their son as Dharmanath.
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra
This is the English translation of the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Charita (literally “The lives of the sixty-three illustrious People”), a Sanskrit epic poem written by Hemachandra in the twelfth century.
Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra - is a major Indian saga and one of the cornerstones in the Jain system of belief, one of the oldest ascetic religions of India. The title translates to “Lives of Sixty-Three Great Men” or “The Lives of the Jain Elders”. It was written by the scholar Acharya Hemchandra Sur from the Shvetambara sect of Jainism in the 12th century. He was widely respected by all Jains but also in the entire Sanskrit world of the time. Acharya Hemchandra Sur rose to fame because he wrote extensively in both Prakrit, Sanskrit, Apabhramsha and Old Gujarati. These volumes are the English translations of the Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra hagiographies of the 63 Great Men of the Jain tradition.