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neuters or twenty women in the old days used to attain perfection, one hundred and eight males used to do so; for the Jaina seem to think men more religious than women. All the twenty-four Tirthankara, ending with Mahāvira, have obtained mokşa and become Siddha, though it is still by the name of Tirthankara that the people love to speak of them.
In the country of Mahāvideha there are at present about one hundred and sixty Tirthankara, as well as many Kevali, who will ultimately proceed to mokşa. No one in the present age can proceed to mokşa from Bharatakşetra, which includes modern India.
There are fifteen different kinds of Siddha: those who have been Arihanta and have become Siddhaarccalled Fina Siddha; those who, without even having been Arihanta themselves, haveyet been thedisciples of Arihanta are called Ajina Siddha.
A Tirtha Siddha is one who has been previously a Tirthankara, and to be considered a Tirthankara a man must have been an ascetic, have preached, and have founded a community or Tirtha consisting of at least four people (a monk and a nun, a layman and a laywoman). If a man die before he has preached or founded a community, he will nevertheless become a Siddha if he has had the requisite history behind him (for such a history automatically compels one to become a Siddha), but he will be called Atirtha Siddha : for instance, the mother of Rişabhadeva became a Siddha, but an Atirtha Siddha, for at the time that she attained mokşa no community had been founded.
Though the recognized path to Siddhahood is by becoming an ascetic, a householder of eminent holiness might nevertheless on his death pass straight to mokşa, as King Bharata did, without ever having been an ascetic; such a jiva is called a Grihalinga Siddha. It is the glory of Jainism that, whatever its present practice, its doctrines steadfastly declare that conduct is greater than caste. It is possible for a non- Jaina who exhibits perfect holiness in his life to pass to mokşa and become
