Like me, if you didn't know that the Hindu God Krishna and the Jain Tirthankara Neminatha are related, then brace yourself for some fascinating facts!
Neminatha was the 22nd Tirthankara of Jainism. He was born to King Samudravijay and Queen Shiva Devi at Souripur in the Harivansh clan. His father was the brother of Vasudeva who was Lord Krishna's father. In Jaininsm therefore Krishna is believed to be the cousin of Neminatha. Neminatha is also believed to have the same dark-bluish colored skin as Krishna. He is also known as Arishtanemi or simply Nemi. According to historians, he might have lived in roughly around 3100 BC. He is also mentioned in the Rig Veda Samhita.
Arishtanemi was a young handsome prince. Soon the time of his marriage approached. But he was completely detached person and didn't want to get married. His father went to Lord Krishna to convince Arishtanemi for marriage. Krishna searched for a suitable match for Arishtanemi when one of his wife’s, Satyabhama, told him about her younger sister. Everything was finalized and their marriage was organized. Arishtanemi was riding on a decorated elephant. Thousands of kings, prince etc were attending the marriage. While very near to the destination, he saw large fenced areas on the sides of the roads. Large number of wailing animals was bondage within those fences. On asking the reason of this bondage, the driver of the elephant said that these animals were to be used by the butcher, to prepare food for thousands of people who were to come in the marriage. Arishtanemi could not stand the idea of being the sole cause for the killing of thousands of innocent animals. He was filled with detachment. He asked the driver to immediately get the doors of the fences opened and release the animals and move back towards Dwarka. Rajimati, his bride to be was dressed in bridal dress, on hearing the news she went unconscious.
When Arishtanemi was questioned about what he had done then he replied, “These animals were prisoners in the cages, we all are prisoners in the cage of Karma. Happiness lies in freedom and not in bondage. So I want to follow the path eternal bliss. So, please do not stop me. On hearing this news Rajimati also decided to become a saint and lead the rest of life as an ascetic. After a year long charity, Arishtanemi came outside the town of Dwarka in Raivatak garden. Under an Ashoka tree he removed all his worldly possessions, with five fists full removed his hair, with thousands other people, on the sixth day of the bright half of the month of Shravan, took renunciation and became an ascetic.
It is believed that in his past life Arishtanemi was King Shankh, the eldest son of King Shrisen of Hastinapur. He is said to have rescued a captured princess names Yashomati. On looking at each other they fell in love and married. He was in deep love with his wife. This intensity made him feel upset sometimes and he use to think about the reason for such deep love for Yashomati. The answer he got was from a scholarly ascetic. He told him that this was their seventh birth as husband and wife and that is the reason of his and her intense love and this bond will be broken in their ninth birth where Shankh will be born as twenty second Tirthankar and Yashomati as Rajimati. And they both will choose the path of liberation.
Neminath spent fifty four days in deep spiritual practices and then went to Girnar Hill. On the fifteenth day of the month of Ashvin, in the afternoon, under the bamboo tree Neminath attained omniscience and became twenty second Tirthankar. After that, he delivered his first divine sermon. Rajimati also came to attend the Samosaran of Lord Neminath and along with her friends she attained renunciation and got liberated in the end. Lord Neminath preached Jain doctrine for very long time and wandered in many parts of India along with thousands of ascetics as an Omniscient saint. On the eighth day of the month of Ashadh, Tirthankar Neminath destroyed all the Karmas attached with his soul and got liberated at the top of Mount Girnar located in present day Gujarat, India. Later temples dedicated to Neminath were built on the same place.
Some 16 Jain temples here form a sort of fort on the ledge at the top of the great cliff of Girnar. The Neminath temple is the largest temple of the group. The temple was rebuilt completely by Sajjana, the governor of Saurashtra appointed by Jayasimha Siddharaja. There is an inscription on one of the pillars of the mandapa stating that it was repaired in 1278 CE. The idol of Neminath placed here is believed to be the oldest idol of him in the world.
One such small idol of Neminath, dated to 1186 CE, Gujarat is kept in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai. A few days back I visited this same museum and saw the magnificent Neminath idol which inspired me to probe into his story. I hope you're as much as fascinated by his story as I'm!