The name of
the powerful and illustrious king of Khadgi town
in Purva Mahavideh area was Simhavaha. He was
a very devoted and religious person when his son
became young and capable, he handed over his kingdom
to the son and took Diksha from Samvaracharya.
As a result of his vigorous penance and devotion
for the Arhat, he earned the Tirthankar-nam-and
gotra-karma. Completing his age he reincarnated
in the Sarvarthsiddha dimension of gods.
From the dimension of gods he descended into the
womb of queen Shri Devi, wife of king Shursen
of Hastinapur. During her pregnancy the queen
saw a heap of gemstones known as Kunthu in her
dreams. This inspired the king to name him Kunthu
Kumar. The pious deeds of earlier birth resulted
in unlimited power and grandeur for Kunthu Kumar.
After Shursen became an ascetic, Kunthu Kumar
ascended the throne. Soon the disc weapon appeared
in his armory and he proceeded to conquer the
world with his mighty army. Without any confrontation
all the kings accepted his sovereignty and Kunthunath
became a Chakravarti. Many mighty kings and princes
used to be present in his court all the time.
After a long and peaceful reign of twenty three
thousand seven hundred and fifty years he became
an ascetic along with one thousand kings immediately
after Diksha he acquired Manahparyav Jnan. He
spent sixteen years as an ordinary ascetic. Indulging
in penances and other spiritual practices, he
attained omniscience on the third day of the bright
half of the month of Chaitra under a Tilak tree
in Sahasramara jungle outside Hastinapur. His
first discourse was on the subject of "inner purity".
As an omniscient ascetic Kunthunath wandered around
and preached true religion for a very long period.
He then went to Sammetshikhar and observed a month
long fast before breathing his last. His followers
were deeply devoted to him. As such, a large crowd
was present at the moment of his Nirvana and cremation
ceremony. They witnessed the ceremony with heavy
hearts and tear filled eyes. The mortal remains
of Bhagavan Kunthunath were taken away by the
gods for worship.
