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F01 Story - Tirthankars
05 - Bhagwan Adinath
05 - Bhagwan Adinath
Time is infinite. The Jain time cycle has no beginning or end. It continuously migrates from periods of progress to periods of decline. According to Jain tradition, a period of progress, known as an Utsarpini or an ascending order, is marked with all-around improvements, including longer lifespan, greater prosperity, and overall happiness. On the other hand, a period of decline, known as an Avasarpini or a descending order, is marked with all-around deterioration and decline such as a shorter life span and general gloom. These two periods together make one time cycle. Each Utsarpini and Avasarpini is divided into six eras called Äräs, meaning the spokes of a wheel. We are currently in the fifth Arä of the Avasarpini period. It is also known as Dusham or Dukham (Unhappy) Ärä. Hindu tradition calls it Kaliyuga. Until the end of the third Ärä of the current Avasarpini, people lead a natural and simple life. The population was small and Nature provided all the necessities for human beings; trees provided shelter and enough leaves and bark for covering their bodies. With the help of the branches, they could erect huts for protection from rain and extreme weather. When they felt hungry, they could pick their food from the trees and bushes. There was enough flowing water for cleaning their bodies and quenching their thirst. As such, there was no struggle for existence or rivalry for survival, and people spent their lives in peace. The people lived in tribes, each of which had a leader known as a Kulkar or king. Towards the end of the third Ärä, there lived a Kulkar named Näbhiräyä who peacefully managed his community. In due course, his beautiful wife, Queen Marudevi, gave birth to Rishabh. The world's conditions started changing after Rishabh was born. There was an increase in population and nature no longer remained as bountiful as it used to be. This gave rise to a struggle for the acquisition and accumulation of the necessities of life; the emotions of jealousy and envy arose. Näbhiräyä, as the leader of the community, tried to restrain the struggle to the utmost possible extent. As Rishabha grew up to be a bold, intelligent, and enthusiastic young man, Näbhiräyä entrusted the management of the kingdom to him. Rishabh was a visionary, a thinker, and an inventor. He foresaw that the struggle for survival would become worse unless some system of producing the necessities of life was created. He realized that people could make an effort to obtain what they need from nature instead of relying exclusively on natural bounties. He therefore evolved the art of crop cultivation and taught people how to grow food and fiber. Thus, he ushered in what we call the age of material civilization. To make the lives of people more comfortable, he taught them how to make utensils, cook food, build houses, make clothes, cultivate land, and raise animals like cows and horses. He also developed different arts and crafts to make a variety of articles from wood, metal, and stone. Due to his efforts, the first city, named Vinita and later known as Ayodhya, came into existence. Rishabh sanctified the system of marriage and institutionalized family life, having married Sumangalä, as well as a woman named Sunandä who had lost her husband. Thus, a social order was evolved and Rishabh, as the first acknowledged ruler in human society, came to be known as King Rishabhdev. During his long rule, he laid down equitable rules and regulations for ensuring peace and safety within his realm, gaining the love of his kingdom's people. Rishabhdev had 100 sons; the eldest two were called Bharat and Bahubali. He also had two daughters, Brähmi and Sundari. These four children were experts in different arts and crafts. Bharat became a brave warrior and a capable ruler. Jain literature indicates that India was named "Bhärat" after him. Bahubali, true to his name (Bähu means arm and Bali means mighty), was known for his exceptional arm strength. Brähmi evolved the art of writing and developed the Brähmi script in which most of the scriptures were written. Her sister, Sundari, cultivated an exceptional talent in mathematics. Rishabhdev was proud and happy of his achievements and felt content with his ruler ship. However, one day an incident occurred that changed his way of thinking. As he was watching a dance, the dancer suddenly collapsed and died. Rishabhdev was very disturbed by the sudden death and began pondering
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015
