Shri Neminath: life and stories
Following the Shwetambar tradition, chiefly Acharya Shri Hemchandracharya's Trishashti Shalaka Purush Charitra and the Kalpasutra. Kalyanak tithis are in Gujarati months.
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From King Dhan and Queen Dhanvati onwards, the souls of Nemi and Rajimati were together for eight births; in the last, King Shankh with Queen Yashomati, he bound the Tirthankar naam karma. In the ninth birth they would part, and both find moksha.
On Aso Vad 12 his soul came into the womb of Queen Shivadevi, wife of King Samudravijay of Shauripur, and she saw the fourteen great dreams.
The tradition says that his mother dreamt of a jewelled rim (nemi) of a wheel, so he was named Arishtanemi, Nemi for short. His chinh is the conch.
He was born on Shravan Sud 5, and the Indras celebrated the janmabhishek on Meru.
Nemi was born in the Harivansh at Shauripur, son of King Samudravijay. His father's youngest brother Vasudev was the father of Shri Krishna, so Nemi and Krishna were cousins. When Nemi blew Krishna's conch Panchajanya with ease, the whole of Dwarka shook, and his strength became famous.
A marriage was arranged with Rajimati, daughter of King Ugrasen. On the way to the wedding Nemi heard the cries of animals penned up for the feast. Learning that they would be killed for his wedding, he had them all set free, turned his chariot back, and resolved to take diksha.
After the Lokantik devs came to request him and a year of varshidaan, he took diksha on Shravan Sud 6 with a thousand kings.
He attained kevalgyan on Bhadarva Vad Amas; the devs built the samavasaran and the fourfold sangh was set up.
He took diksha and attained kevalgyan at Sahasavan on Girnar. Rajimati too took diksha. When Nemi's brother Rathnemi, a muni, was tempted on seeing her in a cave, she awakened him with her words and brought him back to the path. She attained moksha before the Prabhu.
On Ashadh Sud 8 Shri Neminath attained nirvan on Girnar.
Neminath attained nirvan on Girnar, and three of his kalyanaks took place there, which makes Girnar one of the holiest Jain tirth. The tradition says Shri Krishna will be a Tirthankar, Amam, in the coming chovisi.