1. What is 'Kalyanaka' ?
The festivity specially celebrated by Indras, celestial and human beings at the time of conception, birth, penance (initiation) omniscience and salvation of Teerthankaras, is called Kalyanaka.
2. What are five Kalyanakas ?
Auspicious event of conception, of birth, of penance (initiation), of omniscience and of salvation.
3. What is auspicious event of conception ?
Saudharma Indra, knowing coming of Teerthankara in the womb of mother (impregnation) in near future through his divine clairvoyance, orders Kuber, the treasurer of the heaven, to build city for parents of the Teerthankara and to rain three & half crores of Jewels on their courtyard thrice in a day. Thus the rain of jewel starts before six months of conception and continues regularly till his birth, i.e., for about fifteen months. The mother of the Teerthankara sees extremely charming amusing and delightful 16 dreams in the last phase of night (a three hour's period) before conceiving. These dreams are indicative of the coming of Teerthankara in the womb. As soon as the conception of Teerthankara takes place, celestial beings alongwith Saudharma Indra circumambulating the city thrice salute the parents of the Teerthankara. Euologizing the Teerthankara in the womb they celebrate a great festivity. After rejoicing the auspicious event of the conception, the Saudharma Indra appoints shri, etc. female celestial maids for purifying the womb. These female celestial-maids attend and serve Jina's mother and make her mind engage in religious discussions and the Saudharma Indra goes back to his place alongwith other deities.
4. What is auspicious event of Birth ?
After completion of period ofconception the Jina's mother gives birth to child Teerthankara. Just on the birth of child Teerthankara all the three world are filled with delight and happiness. Even to the extent that where beating & wounding/ carnage goes on throughout all the 24 hours even in those hells the infernal beings feel extra-ordinary pleasure for a moment and the seats of Indras of heaven begin trembling and the gong, lion's roar, bugle and conch begin to play on their own in the residence of Kalpvasi, Stellar, Peripatetic and Bhavanvasi deities respectively. Indras and celestial beings become sure of the birth of Teerthankara seeing all these omens and immediately getting down from their respective seats / thrones and marching seven steps ahead they salute and eulogize child Teerthankara indirectly. Afterwards by the order of Saudharma Indra seven types army of deities leave for birthplace of Teerthankara shouting cheers and rejoicing.
The Saudharma Indra along with his Indrani also leaves for the birth-place riding on the Airavat Elephant. All celestial beings along with Saudharma Indra circumambulate thrice the birth place of the Teerthankara. Afterwards Shachi (Indrani of Saudharma Indra) entering the delivery room secretely, circumambulating Jina's mother thrice, making Jina's mother asleep through enchanting sleep and gazing at the graceful form of Jina-child with extreme ecstasy and rapture, brings the child and hands over him to the Saudharma Indra and makes asleep an illusory child near mother.
Saudharma Indra becomes sentimental seeing the child Teerthankara and observes the beauty of child Teerthankara making '1000 eyes'. Afterwards riding on the Airavata Elaphant and causing the Jina-child to sit on his lap and going to the Sumeru mountain, anoint the Teerthankara child ensconcing on the Pandukashila, by the water of Kshirsagar with 1008 pitchers (water pot). Shachi adorns the child with heavenly attire and ornaments. Afterwards which mark Indra sees on the toe of right foot of the child declaring that very mark as the symbol / identification mark of the Teerthankara, gives name to the Teerthankara. Then Saudharma Indra ensconcing the child on the Airavat Elephant comes back to the birth-city. Indrani coming near the Jina's mother picks up the illusory child and removing the enchanting asleep of the mother keeps the Jina-child near her. The Jina's mother sees the child with extreme cheerful delight. The Indra and other celestial beings paying special reverence to the parents go back to the Indraloka.
5. What is auspicious event of Penance ?
After auspicious event of Birth Teerthankara spend their childhood and on becoming youth they accept kingship (5 Teerthankaras out of present Teerthankaras did not accept kingship). Due to some or the other motive aversion from worldly life generates in him then at that very time Laukantika deities coming from Bramha heaven eulogize Teerthankara praising his detachment from worldly life. Afterwards the Saudharma Indra anoint the detached Teerthankara with the water of Kshirsagar which is called as Deekshabhisheka, i.e. penance - anointment.
Then Teerthankara himself sits in the palanquin brought by the Kuber. Human beings and Vidhyadharas take that palanquin up to 7 steps each, afterwards celestial beings take that palanquin up to the Initiation-forest by sky-route. Having ensconced on the moon-stone-rock kept there by celestial beings facing east in the lotus posture and paying obeisance to Siddha Parmesthi, plucking hair by the fist and renouncing attire and ornaments thereby assuming Jina's-posture (state of nudity) takes resolve of major vows re nouncing all sinful activities. Saudharma Indra keeping hair in a gem-box, consign them to the Kshirsagar. After the initiation the celestial beings performing special worship-devotion of the Teerthankara go back to their respective places. (Jain Tattva Vidya, p. 35-36)
6. What is auspicious event of Omniscience ?
Teerthankara after taking initiation of Muni, performs arduous penance by keeping mum and advancing religious concentration, ascending auspicious ladder related to destruction of Karmas (Kshapak Shreni) destroys deluding Karma completely in the end of 10th stage of spiritual development (Gunasthan) and in the last instant of the 12th stage of spiritual development as soon as the knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring and obstructive Karma are destroyed, attains omniscience, due to which he begins to know simultaneously all sentient and non-sentient substances along with their infinite modes. As soon as the omniscience is manifested to the Teerthankara, the celestial beings seeing the marks / symbols appearing in their respective places and trembling of the seat / throne of the Saudharma Indra come to know through their clairvoyance that the Teerthankara Muni has attained the omniscience. Hence, the Indra & the other deities stand up from their respective seats and marching seven steps ahead, pay their obeisance to the Teerthankara.
The Saudharma Indra along with all celestial beings come to visit & worship the Teerthankara and the Kuber creates / builds Samavsaran by the orders of the Saudharma Indra in which Teerthankara ensconces. The Indra, deities, human beings & Tiryanchas visit, worship and listen to the preaching of the Teerthankara.
7. How many times the Teerthankara's discourse takes place in a day and up to how much time ?
The Teerthankara discourses four times in a day - morning/ midday, evening and midnight and also at improper time on arrival of Chakravarti ,etc. V.I.P. The discourse lasts for 3 Muhurta, i.e. 2 hours and 24 minutes in one time, which is called resonant preaching of the Lord Teerthankara in the form of Omkar sound (Divya Dhvani). (Gommatsar jeevakand, Jeeva Prabodhini - 356)
8. What is the Moksha Kalyanaka (Auspicious event of Salvation) ?
When the salvation time of Teerthankara becomes imminent then he leaving the Samavsaran goes to the place where salvation is to take place, performs 'Yog Nirodha',(i.e. cessation of activities of mind, speech and body) and as soon as he attains the 14th stage of spiritual development he, destroying four non-destructive Karmas, attains final emancipation, i.e. "Nirvan' in the least time which consumes just in pronouncing the last of the five short vowels (अ, इ, उ, ऋ,लू i.e. a, i, u, r, l). At that very time the Indra and deities come there in the 'Nirvan bhumi' (place of salvation) and placing the sacred body of the Teerthankara in palanquin studded with gems pay their obeisance. Afterwards Agnikumar' deities perform ceremony of cremation of the body of the Teerthankara by the fire produced from their crown and applying that ash on their forehead contemplate to become like Him. Afterwards all deities play together' Anand drama. In this way all deities performing worship of 'Nirvana Kalyanaka' of the Teerthankara methodically and making mark of feet in that place by thunderbolt-needle, go back to their respective places. (Jain Tattva Vidya, p. 38-39).
