tirthankaras/tk-03-sambhavanatha.jpg · 1200×1600The story remembered for him is from a previous life, and it is about food. As King Vipulavahana, he ruled during a terrible famine. He opened the royal granaries and made sure the monks and nuns were fed first, and fed properly. That act of dana (giving) is said to have bound the karma that makes one a Tirthankara.
His name — sambhava, “becoming possible” — is explained by the famine breaking and grain returning while he was in the womb. Beyond this, the scriptures give his family and emblem; the later poets supply the familiar template of the five auspicious events.
