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Simandhar Swami is a living Tirthankara, an Arihant, who is said to be currently present on another world in the Jain mythological universe.
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Where is Simandhar Swami?
Tirthankara Simandhar Swami resides on Mahavideh Kshetra, another land within the Jain mythological universe (see Jain cosmology).
The five lands of the Bharat Kshetra are currently in the 5th Ara (a degraded time-cycle in which Tirthankaras do not incarnate). The most recent Tirthankara present on Bharat Kshetra (present world) was Mahavira, whom historians estimate lived between 599-527 BCE, the last in a cycle of 24 Tirthankaras.
On Mahavideh Kshetra, the 4th Ara (a spiritually elevated time-cycle) exists continuously. There, living Tirthankaras perpetually incarnate. There are 5 Mahavideh Kshetras, each being a separate land. At present, there are 4 Tirthankars residing in each Mahavideh Kshetra. Thus there are a total of 20 Tirthankaras residing there, Simandhar Swami being one among them.
Details of Simandhar Swami’s Life
Simandhar Swami is a living Tirthankar, an Arihant, who is said to be currently present on another world in the Jain mythological universe. The Arihant Tirthankara Lord Simandhar Swami is currently 150,000 years old, and has a remaining lifespan of 125,000 years. He lives in the city of Pundarikgiri, the capital of Pushpakalavati, one of 32 geographical divisions on Mahavideh Kshetra. Pundarikgiri is ruled by King Shreyans, who is Simandhar Swami’s father. His mother is Queen Satyaki. While pregnant with Simandhar Swami, Queen Satyaki had a sequence of 14/16 (swetambar/digambar belief) dreams indicating that she would give birth to a Tirthankar. Simandhar Swami was born with three complete aspects of Gnan, Self-knowledge:
As a young adult, he married Rukamani Devi and then, later in life, took diksha, renunciation from worldly life.
Simandhar Swami’s height is 500 dhanushya, approximately 1,500 feet, which is considered an average height for the people of Mahavideh Kshetra.
Main Temples
Reported Contact with Simandhar Swami
The following spiritual teachers have reported personal contact with Simandhar Swami, and credit him with influencing their teaching: