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There were people in the past who worshipped Rishabhdev. The Yajurveda mentions the names of three Tirthankaras - Rishabhdev, Ajitnath and Arishtanemi. The Bhagavata Purana also supports the fact that Rishabh (in this era) was the founder of Jainism." Chakravarti King Bharat, the son of Tirthankara Rishabhdev, became the 'First Chakravarti'. He subjugated the Shatkhand Bharatkshetra through the Chakra Ratna. Expanding politics, he taught the system of governance to the kings under his rule. Although Bharat Chakravarti was the ruler of the Shatkhand Earth, he was not attached to it. This was the reason why he attained Kevalgyan in just a moment after taking initiation and later attained 'Moksha'.
It is noteworthy that the mention of Nabhiputra-Rishabhdev and Rishabhpatra-Bharat is available in almost all non-Jain Puranas, Vedic mantras, etc. It is a fortunate coincidence that the birth dates of both Rishabhdev and his son Bharat are on the same day 'Chaitra Krishna Navami'. The name of this country 'Bharat' is derived from the name of Rishabhputra 'Bharat'. There are many citations to support the above statement.
Apabhramsha was a flourishing vernacular language prevalent in Bharatavarsha. In the 5th-6th century AD, it became a powerful medium of literary expression. For a long time, it remained the language of North India. It was used from west to east. From this, modern Indian languages have been born. The period from the 8th to the 13th century AD can be called the golden age of Apabhramsha literature. Apabhramsha literature written by Jain poets from the 7th to the 16th century is available. Only a fraction of the vast literature that was created during this long period has come to light so far. The literature of Apabhramsha language is preserved in large quantities in Jain libraries.
'Mahapuraana' is the first and largest work in the Apabhramsha language of the great poet. This great work of the poet holds a special place in Apabhramsha literature. It also shows all the qualities of poetry along with the qualities of Puranas. In fact, this Mahapuraana is an unparalleled creation of Kavikulatilak Pushpadanta. Mahakavi Pushpadanta's Mahapuraana is a 'Mahakavya'.
This Mahapuraana is a great text of Apabhramsha literature and Jain tradition. It has 102 chapters. This text is divided into two parts - Adipurana and Uttarapurana. 'Adipurana' is the first part which describes the life stories of Tirthankara Rishabhdev and his sons. It begins with the description of the Kulkaras, then the description of Rishabhdev's Kalyanakas. From the twentieth chapter, their previous births are described. It is also called 'Nabheyacharit'. This part is described in the first 37 chapters. The remaining part is called 'Uttarapurana' which is described in the remaining 65 chapters. Thus, 'Adipurana' or 'Nabheyacharit' is the initial part of Mahapuraana. Mahakavi Pushpadanta is not only one of the great poets of Apabhramsha but also of India. He was adorned with many titles. He was called 'Kavyaratnakar', 'Kavikul-tilak', 'Saraswati-nilay' and 'Kavva-pisall' (poetry demon) etc.
Mahapuraana
'Mahapuraana' is a special term in Jain literature. It describes the lives of sixty-three Jain great men. Twenty-four Tirthankaras, twelve Chakravartis, nine Narayanas, nine Pratinarayanas and nine Balabhadra - these are called the sixty-three Shalaka Purushas in Jain tradition. The text that describes these Shalaka Purushas is called 'Sixty-three Shalaka Purushacharit' or 'Mahapuraana'.
In Jain literature, 'Adipurana' was written in Sanskrit by Acharya Jinsen (9th century AD) and 'Uttarapurana' by his disciple Acharya Gunabhadra (9th century AD). After this, Mahakavi Pushpadanta (10th century AD) wrote 'Mahapuraana' in Apabhramsha language.
1. Indian Philosophy, p. 233, Rajpal & Sons, 1989. 2 Adipurana, Acharya Jinsen, Ed.-Trans.-Pandit Pannalal Jain, 15.141, p. 337, Bharatiya Gyanpeeth, Fourth Edition, 1993. 3. For specific details, see Appendix. 4. 24 Tirthankaras - 1. Rishabhdev, 2. Ajitnath, 3. Sambhavnath, 4, Abhinandan, 5. Sumatinath, 6. Padma Prabh, 7. Suparshvanath, 8. Chandra Prabh, 9. Pushpadanta, 10. Sheetalnath, 11. Shreyansnath, 12. Vasupujya, 13, Vimalnath, 14. Anantnath,
15. Dharmanath, 16. Shantinath, 17. Kunthunath, 18. Aranath, 19. Mallinath, 20. Munisuvratnath, 21. Naminath, 22. Neminath, 23. Parshvanath, 24. Vardhaman Mahavira. 12 Chakravartis - 1. Bharat, 2. Sagar, 3. Maghava, 4. Sanatkumar, 5, Shantinath, 6. Kunbhunath, 7. Aranath, 8. Subhum, 9. Mahapadma, 10. Harishen, 11. Jayasen, 12. Brahmadatt. 9 Narayanas - 1. Triprishtha, 2. Dwiprishtha, 3. Swayambhu, 4. Purushottam, 5. Purushsingh, 6. Pundarik, 7. Datt, 8. Lakshman, 9. Krishna. 9 Pratinarayanas - 1. Ashvagriva, 2. Tarak, 3. Meruk, 4. Nishumbh, 5. Madhukaitabh, 6. Bali, 7. Praharan, 8. Ravan, 9. Jarasandh.
9 Balabhadra - 1. Vijay, 2. Achal, 3. Sudharm, 4. Suprabh, 5. Sudarshan, 6. Nandi, 7. Nandimitra, 8. Ram, 9. Balaram. ....