The Jain Thirthankaras

by Jayaram V

The concept of thirthankara is peculiar to Jainism. A tirthankara is a religious teacher who has been freed from the bonds of karma and crossed the world of transmigrations. Through his teachings and personal example, he makes it his central objective to help mankind achieve nirvana or salvation. Jain tradition recognizes 24 thirthankaras who propagated the religion during their existence upon earth, after receiving enlightenment through severe austerities and ascetic practices. The last of the thirthankaras was Vardhamana Mahavira who succeeded Parsvanath, the 23rd thirthankara, and made Jainism popular in the Indian subcontinent by reviving many of its ancient traditions and practices. The thirthankaras constitute the Jain pantheon. Although Jainism is an atheistic religion, followers of Jainism worship the statues, icons, images and symbols of the thirthankaras in temples and homes seeking their blessings and intervention for liberation. A thirthankara is not a god, but an enlightened and perfect being who has been rendered by his previous karma to be a source of knowledge and enlightenment to others. The thirthankaras appear in certain periods of human history to redeem people from the cycle of births and deaths by teaching them the doctrine of Jainism. Followers of Jainism believe that in each artha kalpa (half time cycle) 24 thirthankaras manifest upon earth. The thirthankaras manifest not only upon earth, but in several other worlds that exists in different parts of the universe. The Digambara Jains believe that all the thirthankaras who were born in this time cycle are men, while the Svetambaras believe that of the 19th thirthankara was a woman named Mallinath. Some of the thirthankaras such as Mahavira,Parsvanath and Rishabhanath are confirmed historical personalities. In their icons the thirthankaras are usually depicted as either seated in lotus position or standing. The Digamabaras depict them as stark naked while the Svetambaras show them decorated with clothes and ornaments. Parsvanath, the 23rd thirthankara is usually shown in the company of snakes or overshadowed by a snake hood. 

Rishabhanatha

Rishabha, also known popularly as Adinath, was believed to be a historical person, born to King Nabhi Raja and Queen Marudevi at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. P. C. Roychoudary puts the date of Risabha at the end of Stone Age and beginning of the agriculture age. Some historians like Ramprasad Chandra, John Marshall, suggested that Rishabhanatha was known to Indus valley people and worshipped by them. According to Jain legends, Rishabh existed in prehistoric times before the development of human civilization. As the first knowledgeable person, he said to have taught the mankind agriculture, animal husbandry, art, architecture, music, dance, criminal justice and many other branches of knowledge and arts and crafts. With the blessings of his father Nabhiraja, he assumed the responsibilities of a king and introduced a social order based on virtues and profession, dividing the society into merchants, warriors and workers, a system that was subsequently adopted by the vedic people with suitable modifications. Vinita or Ayodhya was his capital. He had several sons, of whom the eldest was Bharata who became the first emperor of ancient India. Bahubali was his another son, whose mammoth statue now stands at Shravanabelagola in Karnataka and worshipped by millions of Jains. Some Hindu Puranas mention the name of Rishabhanath. According to the Bhagavata purana, Rishabha was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Ajinath

Ajitnatha, the second Jain Tirthankar, was born to King Jitashatru Raja and Queen Vijaya at Ayodhya in the same Ikshvaku clan in which Rishabha and Lord Rama were born. He received enlightenment after performing severe austerities under the guidance of Arindam Suri. One of his brother's name was Sagara, who according to some, was the father of sage Bhagiratha who was responsible for the descent of the Ganges on to the earth through his penances.

The list of the 24 thirthankaras with their associated details are shown below.¹

Suggested Further Reading

1. This table is adopted with some modifications from Wikipedia