Saint Taran Svami

Taran Svami, also spelled Taranswami, was a Jain monk and religious teacher of the Digambar Jainism, and the spiritual leader of the Taran Samaj. He lived in the 15th century central India. The traditional biographies consider him a ritual reformer for rejecting the authority of Bhattarakas and his emphasis on aniconism and inner realization. He was celibate (ब्रह्मचारी) and was initiated as a Digambar monk in his later life. He is credited for writing fourteen texts. There is no scholarly biography of Taran Svami available. Taran Svami was celibate who got initiated as Digambar monk in his later life. Digambara Terapanthi scholar Pandit Phulcandra Siddhanta Shastri wrote a biography in 1933 based on his studies but is not accepted as scholarly biography. Phulcandra has argued that the full name of Taran Svami, as used in the texts attributed to him, was Jin Taran Taran, literally "Jina Deliverer Deliverance." He also argued that the name indicates that he had liberated himself and can liberate others. The Thikanesara ("The essence of what is authentic") texts address him as Svamiji, "Reverend Master." He is commonly referred to as Taran Svami. There are no record of his birth name. The Chadmastha Vani, a composition attributed to Taran Svami, records that he died on 7th Dark Half of Jyeshtha month in Vikram Samvat 1572 which corresponds to 5 May 1515 CE. Based on various manuscripts of Thikanesara and Nirvana Hundi (copied in late 19th and early 20th century), Phulcandra calculated that he was born on 7th Bright Half of Agahan month in Vikram Samvat 1505 which corresponds to 2 December 1448. Based on these texts, it is learned that Virasiri/Virashri was his mother and Garha Saha/Gudha Sahu was his father. He was born in Pushpavati village and into the Parvar caste, in the Vasalla gotra (clan) and Gaha mur (lineage). The village is identified with Bilhari near Katni in Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India by the followers and most authors.