Introduction to Jainism

Author(s): Rudi Jansma, Sneh Rani Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 43

HISTORY AND TIRTHAMKARAS
liberated of all the karmas which had still been attached to him until then. Now he was an enlightened one, a conqueror of all passions. The Kalpa Sūtra - of which only the Svetambara version written in the 5th century AD is now available, but is ascribed to Badrabāhu Svāmī22 who lived in the 4th century BC, before the split between śvetambaras and Digambaras – describes Rishabha's life from the moment he renounces the world as follows:
“On reaching the most excellent Asoka tree, he ordered the palanquin to be placed beneath it. Then he descended from it. Then, with his own hand, he took off his wreaths, fineries and ornaments. Having taken them off, he pulled out his head of hair in four handfuls, and then took food without water only once in three days ... The Arhat’’ Rishabha of Kośala gave up the care of his body for a thousand years and exposed it to hardships like an unfurled flag. During this period, whenever he encountered whatever hardship, he bore it in all respects, forgiving it, overlooking it, believing it to be no hardship, however severe, either caused by divine wrath, by men, animals or the forces of nature or any other adverse agents. Then Arhat Rishabha became homeless; circumspect in movement, circumspect in words, circumspect in desires ... restrained in mind, restrained in words, restrained in physical activities; guarding his thoughts, guarding his words, guarding his physical activities, guarding his organs of sense, guarding his chastity; without anger, without pride, without attachment, desisted from everything, freed from compulsion; without ego, without possessions, with the tie of worldly bondage cut, free from any stain of worldliness.
“He became liberated by giving up suffering ... unattached like the wind, pure at heart like the water in autumn, clean like a lotus leaf, with sense organs withdrawn like a tortoise, solitary like a rhino's horn, free like the birds ... Arhat Rishabha of Kośala had no more limitations as to objects, senses, space and time. ... With equal feelings towards excreta and sandalwood, with equal attitude towards