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Moreover, the commentators of the Vedas themselves insist that the Vedic traditions should be elucidated with the help of the traditional accounts given in the Purāņas. And we know that the account of Rsabhadeva as given in the Jaina Purānas i.e. the Adipurāna, the Harivamsa Purāņa (Ch. VIII 55-104) etc. is quite similar to that available in most of he Brāhmanic Purānas.2 Pt. Jwala Prasad Misra the commentator of the Bbāgavata definitely asserts that “Lord Rşabba, the Avatāra, was the son of Nābhi and Maru devi and the grandson of Lord Agnidhra (the grandson of Manu, the son of Brahmā), that he practised yoga, was paid homage to by the great sages and that he propagated Jainism”. 3
In fact this agreement between the different traditions, about Rşabha being the founder of Jainism,4 is so singular and striking that its validity cannot be doubted, for as
Pt. Todar Mal (18th century) gives several ocher references from the Vedas etc., which are not found in the presept editions.
1 Pargitor--Asur India, Introd. p. iv.
2 Mārkandeya Purāņa (ch. 50. p. 150), Kūrma P. (ch. 41, p. 61), Agni Purāna (cb. 10, p.62), Vāyu Purāņa (Pt. I, ch, 3?, p. 51), Brahmānda Purāņa (Pt. I, Anuşangapada ch. 14, p. 24), Varāha P. (ch, 74, p. 49), Linga P. (ch, 47, p. 68), Vişnu P. (Pt. II, ch. I, p. 77), Skanda P. (ch. 37, p. 148 of the kaumāra khanda of Maheśvara kbanda), Nāradiya P. (Avatāra varñana, v. 54), Bbāgavata Purāņa ( 5-5-28, 5-5-3, 5-5-32 ), Garuda P. ( ch. 1, p. 1), Śiva Purāņa (ch. 4, p. 241), also see 'Kalyāṇa'. Santānka No. XII, 1 p. 274.
3 Bhāgavata (Hindi Edition), 2, 7, 4, 10.
4 Old famous Buddhist works like Dhammapada, Sata Šāstra, Nyāya-bindu also mention Rsabha as the first
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